Hand to Mouth
by Bits And Pieces
Summary: Something is happening in and around Hammelburg; people have been disappearing. Hogan is asked to find out who's behind it, but he doesn't know that the culprit has set his sights on one of Hogan's men. Crossover with the movie, "Jeepers Creepers".
1. A Gruesome Discovery

A/N: I got this idea after watching the movie, _Jeepers Creepers_, about a week ago. WARNING: this story is going to be rather gruesome, but I'm not planning on making it too graphic.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Hogan's Heroes, or the character I'm borrowing from _Jeepers Creepers_. I'm only using them to tell a story.

Note: I had originally posted this as a crossover, but decided to move it to the main page, to make it easier for those who are reading it to follow.

* * *

**Hand to Mouth**

_Every 23rd Spring, for 23 days…_

Colonel Robert E. Hogan was sitting outside Barracks two, watching the men play volleyball in the compound while soaking up the warm afternoon sun, when Sergeant Kinchloe emerged from the barracks and sat down next to him. Hogan knew Kinch had been monitoring the radio, and inwardly braced himself for what Kinch had to tell him. He didn't have to wait long.

"Message from the Underground, Colonel," Kinch said, "They need someone to meet with them this evening, at the abandoned barn between here and Hammelburg. They've got some information to pass along to us."

"What kind of information?" Hogan asked.

"They didn't say," Kinch replied, "But they said it was important."

"It always is," Hogan sighed. "All right, tell them I'll be there. What time do they want to meet?"

"2200 hours."

Hogan nodded. "I'll go after roll call."

"Yes, sir," Kinch said. He started to get up; then looked back at Hogan. "Oh, do you still want Newkirk and Carter to blow up that bridge, Colonel?"

"Yes," Hogan replied, "It needs to be taken care of tonight."

Kinch gave him a brief nod. Then he went back into the barracks; headed towards the false-bottom bunk, hit the lever and climbed down.

* * *

That night after roll call, Hogan, Newkirk and Carter went down to the tunnel below their barracks and got ready for their respective missions. The sergeant and corporal both donned black pants and turtlenecks, while the colonel changed into a civilian outfit. When it was time to move out, Hogan reminded his two subordinates to be careful, and soon all three men were on their way to their destinations.

Hogan arrived at the meeting place, and cautiously approached the barn. Seeing nothing amiss, he sidled quietly up to the door and rapped twice; then paused and knocked three times more. Someone inside must have recognized the code, because the door opened a crack, and a face peeked out at him.

"Papa Bear, it is good to see you," the man said, opening the door wider to allow Hogan to enter.

"It's good to see you, too, Fritz," Hogan replied as he stepped inside. He walked over to the small group of men huddled inside, and sat down on a bale of hay. Fritz followed and took a seat opposite him.

Hogan glanced around; instantly noticing the looks of dread on the other men's faces. "I take it this is serious," he said, hoping it wasn't as grim as the Underground agents' expressions let on.

"Very serious," Fritz informed him. "We've had some disappearances over the last two weeks. Several people from Hammelburg and some others from the surrounding farms have gone missing. We were hoping you might be able to find out what's going on…"

"We already know what's going on!" the man to Fritz's right interrupted, "That, that _thing_ has come back…"

"Hush, Dieter!" Fritz hissed at him, "That's an old fairy tale, and you know it!"

Hogan glanced between Fritz and Dieter. "What's an old fairy tale?" he asked.

"Nothing," Fritz answered, casting a warning glance at Dieter, "Nothing at all." He turned his attention back to Hogan. "Can you help us, Papa Bear?"

Hogan's brow furrowed. "You sure the Gestapo isn't behind this?" he asked, "Sounds like something they'd do."

Fritz shook his head. "It's not the Gestapo, we checked; some of their men have gone missing, too."

Hogan contemplated for a moment. "All right, I'll see what I can do," he replied.

Relief washed over Fritz's face. "Thank you! The police have been no help, and we didn't know where else to turn…"

"I can't promise anything, you know," Hogan interjected.

Fritz nodded. "I know. But you have a way of finding things out. I'm confident you will discover what has been going on."

"No he won't," Dieter mumbled.

"That's enough!" Fritz spat at him angrily.

Hogan opened his mouth to ask; then thought better of it and instead, replied, "If there's something fishy going on around here, we'll find out." He stood up and brushed off his trousers. "If there's nothing else…?"

"No, that's it," Fritz said. He also rose, and accompanied Hogan to the door. "Be careful out there," he warned, "Most of the disappearances seem to happen at night."

"I will," Hogan responded, and then the thought of Newkirk and Carter out there planting explosives flashed through his mind. He felt a stab of worry, and shifted uneasily. "I'll be in touch," he said, and slipped out into the darkness.

* * *

"Blimey, Carter, aren't you done yet?" Newkirk asked, annoyed, "It shouldn't be taking this long!"

"Almost there," Carter answered, more to himself, "Almost there… Done!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He stood up and smiled. "That bridge is gonna be nothing but a memory in an hour, boy! I just wish we could stick around and watch…" his voice trailed off when he looked at Newkirk and saw the annoyed expression on his face. "Okay, okay, we can go now," he said with a sigh.

"About ruddy time!" Newkirk replied. He turned and headed back in the direction of the camp, glancing behind him a few times to make sure Carter was following. They'd gone perhaps half a mile, when he stopped suddenly; nearly losing his balance as Carter plowed into him.

"Oof!" Newkirk exclaimed, trying to regain his balance, "Watch where you're goin', Andrew!"

"You're the one who stopped!" Carter countered.

"Yeah…thought I 'eard somethin'," Newkirk said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Quiet now, let me listen…"

A full minute passed, and the only sound they heard was the occasional bird call; probably an owl. After a few more seconds, Carter whispered, "I don't hear anything, Newkirk."

Newkirk, his eyes darting back and forth in the darkness, began to wonder if he'd been imagining things. "Must be gone," he said, unwilling to admit he might have made a mistake. "All right, let's go," he added, and started walking again.

They made it another half mile, when Newkirk spotted something on the ground in front of them. As he neared, he noticed the moonlight glinting off something shiny, and he quickened his pace. He reached the object, and crouched down to examine it. "'Ello, what's this, then?" he said as he picked it up. He brought it up to his face for a closer look. His eyes widened in shock when he realized what he was holding, and he dropped it like it was on fire. He stood up quickly and started walking again, his heart racing as fast as his footsteps.

"What's wrong?" Carter called out, trying to keep up.

"Nothin'!" Newkirk shot back; then slowed his pace and said, "Nothin's wrong, Andrew…I just want to get back to camp, is all."

"Okay," Carter replied. He was unconvinced that there was nothing wrong, but he knew better than to try to argue with Newkirk.

They walked several more yards, when both of them spotted something up ahead. "What is that?" Carter couldn't help asking.

As they got closer, the smell hit them in the face like a wave, and they had to turn their heads to keep from gagging. Newkirk pulled the collar of his shirt up over his nose and shut his eyes tight; wishing with all his heart when he opened them, the vision before him would be gone. But when he cracked his eyelids, it was still there. He grabbed Carter's arm, whose face was noticeably pale – even in the dark – and started to guide him around the grisly sight. "C'mon, Andrew, let's get back to camp," he said, his voice shaking. Carter didn't answer; he just nodded and followed Newkirk.

Neither of them had noticed the pair of yellowish eyes watching them from a nearby thicket. As the two men moved off, the owner of those eyes lifted its head and inhaled deeply; testing their scents that still hung heavy in the air. One of the scents caught his attention, and he smiled. Yes, there was something about it that he liked; in fact, he liked it very much.

Newkirk and Carter picked their way through the forest, saying nothing, until they finally reached the hollow tree stump that led to the tunnel below. After they climbed down, they hurried to the main tunnel, where they knew Kinch would be monitoring the radio. When they arrived, they were surprised to see Hogan already there, pacing back and forth like he did when he was particularly worried about something.

Hogan saw them walk up and stopped. "Newkirk, Carter, I'm glad you're back," he said, relief evident in his voice. Then he saw the men's expressions, and quickly grew alarmed. "What's wrong?"

Carter glanced at Newkirk, then back to Hogan. "Colonel, on our way back from the bridge, we saw…" He paused, sucking in his breath; then tried again, "We saw…"

"Better let me tell 'im, Andrew," Newkirk cut in, grabbing Carter's arm and leading him over to the bench near the wall of the tunnel. Carter sank down on it and looked at Newkirk gratefully.

Hogan waited until Newkirk turned back to face him, and asked impatiently, "Well, what did you see?"

Newkirk took a deep breath. "Corpses, sir," he answered as he exhaled, "Two, maybe three bodies."

"Corpses?" Hogan echoed, frowning. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. Everyone there had seen dead bodies before; why were Newkirk and Carter so shaken up over it? He started to reply, when the last part of Newkirk's answer suddenly hit him. "What do you mean, 'Two or three bodies'? Which was it…two, or three?"

Newkirk swallowed hard and tossed a glance at Carter. He looked back at Hogan and said, "Well, sir, you see, the bodies, they were…in pieces."

"In pieces?" Hogan again repeated him. His face began to register shock as that bit of information sunk in. "You mean, they'd been dismembered?"

"Yes, sir," Carter, who had begun to regain his composure, called out from the bench, "That's why we're not sure how many of them there were."

Newkirk nodded. "Just a ruddy pile of body parts was all; a foot 'ere, some arms and legs there, three or four hands, two torsos…"

"I thought there were three," Carter interrupted.

"Might 'ave been three," Newkirk amended, "It was 'ard to tell. They were a right mess, cut into pieces, and there were…things missin' from 'em." He paused as a shudder ran through him; then added quietly, "And two heads…one of 'em was a girl, Colonel."

Kinch, who had been listening in shocked silence so far, now spoke up. "Why would someone cut up bodies and dump them in the woods? That doesn't make sense."

Hogan sighed. "Nothing in this war makes sense," he muttered, shaking his head. Suddenly the conversation he'd had with Fritz earlier jumped into his mind, and he asked, "Could you tell if they were civilians, Newkirk?"

"I think so, Colonel. There were bits of cloth scattered about; looked like they could 'ave come from the types of outfits the townspeople wear."

Fritz's words came back to Hogan, "_We've had some disappearances over the last two weeks. Several people from Hammelburg and some others from the surrounding farms have gone missing..."_ He thought for a moment; then asked, "Could you tell how long they've been there?"

"For a while, Colonel," Carter answered, crinkling his nose, "The smell was terrible!"

"At least a week, sir," Newkirk guessed, "Maybe longer." Just thinking about that horrible odor made the bile rise in his throat, and he had to swallow hard to force it back down.

Hogan noticed. "Maybe you better sit down, Newkirk," he said, grabbing his arm and leading him over to the bench where Carter was sitting, "You're looking a little green around the gills."

Newkirk didn't argue, he just plopped down next to Carter. He took a few slow, deep breaths, and almost immediately started to feel better. After a few moments he looked up at Hogan; anger radiating from his eyes. "I'd lay money the ruddy Gestapo are behind this, Colonel," he said, "They've come up with some new cruel way to torture people, they 'ave."

Hogan shook his head. "It's not the Gestapo," he replied; then proceeded to relate the conversation he'd had with Fritz. "Whoever's doing this; he's doing it on his own."

"'He', sir?" Kinch asked.

"You don't think it's a woman doing this, do you?" Hogan countered, raising an eyebrow.

Kinch's eyes widened. "No, sir!" he replied, aghast at the thought. "I just thought it might be more than one person."

Hogan leaned against the table, opposite of where Kinch was seated, and crossed his arms. "You may have a point," he said, "I don't see how one person could be doing this all by himself."

"Maybe it's a cult!" Carter blurted out. "I've heard what people do in those cults – all those rituals and sacrifices – it's disgusting!"

"It's not a cult, Andrew!" Newkirk huffed, rolling his eyes. "It's probably some sick, twisted group of Nazis who want to make themselves look good to the other sick, twisted Nazis."

"That does make more sense, Peter," Kinch replied, nodding.

Hogan glanced at his watch. "Well, in any case, it's time to get some sleep; roll call is in four hours. Gentlemen, I suggest we go up to our bunks and get what sleep we can."

The men mumbled their agreement. Carter climbed up first, followed by Kinch. Newkirk was next, but before he stepped on the ladder, he turned to Hogan and said, "Sir, those body parts we saw out there, some of them looked like they'd been, uh, on the menu, if you get my meanin'."

"Could be animals," Hogan responded, "You said yourself they've been there at least a week."

"Yes, sir, it could 'ave been animals, couldn't it?" Newkirk flashed him a small smile. "Well, goodnight, Colonel," he said, and climbed up to the barracks above.

Hogan waited a few moments; then climbed up, himself, and headed for his quarters. He wasn't sure how much sleep he was going to get, but he knew he had to try. _We've got enough to worry about;_ he thought as he changed into his pajamas, _we don't need any more!_

As Newkirk was stretching out on his bunk, a different thought was passing through his mind. He hadn't mentioned to Carter or Hogan what he'd found out there; before he and Andrew had discovered the corpses. But the image was burned in his memory, and now that he was alone, it displayed itself prominently in his mind. That shiny thing he'd found out there in the woods had been a gold ring; replete with ornate designs, and an inscription carved into it in tiny letters. There had been only one problem, though.

The finger that the ring had been on was still attached to it.


	2. Lost and Found

**Chapter 2**

"Raus! Raus! Everyone up for roll call, schnell!" Schultz bellowed as he pushed open the door to the barracks and stepped inside. He banged his hand against the bunk where Newkirk and Carter were sleeping, causing both men to jump.

"Cor! 'Ave a 'eart, will you, Schultzie?" Newkirk groused, dragging himself up into a sitting position. "There's other ways of wakin' people without scarin' the livin' daylights out of 'em!"

"Yeah, Schultz," came Carter's reply from the bunk below, "You want to give us a heart attack?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Carter," Schultz said, leaning down to talk to the American Sergeant, "Maybe I should walk on my tippy-toes and whisper next time, so I won't disturb you."

"You do that, Schultzie," Newkirk said, clapping the big German guard on the back, "And while you're about it, I could use a nice, hot cup of tea first thing in the mornin'."

Schultz straightened up and scowled at Newkirk. "Jolly joker," he muttered; then turned around and began hollering once again. "Raus! Raus! Everyone outside, now!"

"Okay, okay, we heard you, Schultz," LeBeau called out as he was changing into his uniform, "You don't have to yell!" As he finished getting dressed, he glanced over at Newkirk and Carter, who were doing the same, and noticed they both looked tired and drawn. Concerned, he walked over to them and whispered, "Did everything go all right last night?"

Carter opened his mouth to reply, but Newkirk cut him off. "We'll tell you about it after roll call," he whispered back.

Just then Hogan emerged from his quarters, looking drained as well. He shot a look at Newkirk and Carter, and could tell they hadn't gotten much sleep, either. _If the missions don't kill us, the exhaustion will! _he thought to himself while stifling a yawn. The men started filing out of the barracks, and when the last man had exited, Hogan followed after him into the chilly morning air.

* * *

After roll call, Hogan and his main crew gathered around the long table in the large common room of the barracks, and took a seat. LeBeau was the last to sit down; having decided to grab the coffee pot and fill each man's cup first. When he was done, he plopped down next to Newkirk and asked impatiently, "So, what happened last night?"

Newkirk glanced at Hogan. "You want me to tell 'im, sir?" he asked.

"Go ahead," Hogan replied, "You were there; you saw it."

"I saw it, too!" Carter piped up.

Newkirk threw him an irritated look. "You want to tell Louis, then?"

Carter's eyes widened. "Uh, no, that's okay, Newkirk, you can tell him."

"Well, someone better tell me!" LeBeau exclaimed.

Newkirk took a deep breath; then let out a sigh. "After Carter set the dynamite on the bridge, we were comin' back to camp, you see, when we ran into somethin' disturbin'…"

As Newkirk talked, LeBeau's eyes began to widen. By the time the Englishman was finished, the Frenchman's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Mon Dieu! I have never heard of anything so terrible! Who would do such a thing?"

"That's what we need to find out," Hogan said. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the table, clasping them together. "After tonight's roll call, we're gonna go back to those woods, and do a little snooping around."

"What?" Newkirk couldn't help blurting out, "Blimey, Colonel, you can't be serious! You want us to go back there?"

"Can you think of a better place to start looking?"

"But, but," Carter stammered, "Are you sure you want to do that, sir? I mean, whoever left those, um, parts there, what if he…"

"Or they," Kinch reminded him.

"…or they show up?" Carter finished.

"I doubt whoever did that is going to be hanging around," Hogan replied, "He – or they – aren't dumb enough to let themselves get caught."

"You wouldn't think so, would you?" Newkirk mumbled, sounding unconvinced.

"Besides," Hogan continued, "They might have left clues, and if so, we're going to find them." He glanced at the doubtful faces before him and added, "Unless any of you have a better idea…?" He was met by silence. "All right, tonight after roll call, we move out."

* * *

Klink took his time during evening roll call, regaling the prisoners with news of the success of the latest advance by the glorious Third Reich; which he'd heard about earlier while listening to his favorite radio broadcast. By the time he finally dismissed them, every man in camp was groaning.

Hogan and his men were no exception. After listening to Klink for 20 minutes, they were almost looking forward to getting away from camp for a while.

Almost.

"All right," Hogan said as they were getting ready to leave, "I don't want any heroics tonight; this is strictly a reconnaissance mission…got it?"

The men all nodded their acquiescence.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

The mid-April night air was chilly, and unusually still as they made their way through the forest. The three-quarter moon shone brightly in the sky, lighting their path, and they could see relatively well around the trees; which had only just begun to sprout their foliage.

The men walked quietly, single-file, Newkirk in front, leading the way. Hogan was directly behind him, followed by Carter, LeBeau, and Kinch, who was bringing up the rear.

As Newkirk neared the area he and Carter had happened upon the previous evening, he slowed down, and then stopped just yards away. He looked behind him at Hogan, while raising his arm to point in the direction of their discovery. Hogan nodded, which prompted Newkirk to turn his attention forward once more, and cautiously approach the area. He was expecting to get hit any second by that terrible smell, but there seemed to be no trace of it. When he reached the area where he and Carter had stood gawking in horror the night before, his jaw dropped in surprise – the area was completely clear. There was no sign of the grisly scene from last night.

"They're gone!" Newkirk exclaimed; then whirled around to look at Hogan, "The corpses…they're gone, Colonel!"

"Are you sure this is where you saw them?" Hogan asked.

"Yes, sir, I'm positive," Newkirk replied. By now the rest of the men had gathered around them.

Hogan turned to Carter. "How about you? Is this the place from last night?" he asked him.

Carter glanced around briefly; then nodded. "Yes, sir, I'm sure this is where we saw those body parts."

Hogan frowned. "Well they're obviously not here now."

"What could have happened to them?" LeBeau spoke up, secretly relieved that they were gone. He wasn't sure he would have been able to stomach the sight; at least, not if it was anything like Newkirk's description.

"Hey, maybe some animals dragged them away," Carter suggested.

Kinch shook his head. "I don't think so, Carter. The area's too clean."

"Which leaves only one answer," Hogan said. "Whoever put them here, came back and took them away."

The men glanced warily around their surroundings for a few moments. Then Hogan said, "All right, let's take a look around; maybe they missed something." He started to walk over to the area in question, motioning to his men to follow, when Newkirk's eyes suddenly widened.

"I just remembered somethin', Colonel…be back in a tick!"

Hogan watched as Newkirk turned around and jogged away. "Now, where is _he_ going?" Hogan asked, glancing over at Carter.

Carter shrugged. "Beats me, Colonel," he said; then his own eyes grew wide. "Unless he's going back to that bridge we blew up."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, sir, but that's the direction we came from last night."

Hogan sighed in frustration. "Well, he better be back here in exactly two minutes, or we're going after him."

* * *

Newkirk trotted several yards into the woods; then stopped. He looked at the ground around him, scrutinizing it, searching for something small and shiny. "C'mon, you little bugger, I know you're 'ere," he mumbled to himself while walking slowly in a tight circle. "They couldn't 'ave remembered to come lookin' for you…aha!" His eyes lighted on the gold ring he'd found the previous night, and it still had the finger attached to it. He grinned wide and pulled out his handkerchief. "The gov'nor's goin' to want to see you," he said as he bent down and scooped it up. Then he wrapped the handkerchief snugly around it, and headed back to the group.

When he got there, he instantly noticed the scowl on Hogan's face, and realized he'd run off without the colonel's permission. He walked up to him and sheepishly apologized. "Sorry, Colonel, I should 'ave asked…"

"Yes, you should have," Hogan angrily cut him off. "What were you thinking, Newkirk? Running off into the woods by yourself?"

"But, sir, look what I found," Newkirk replied. He placed the handkerchief on his upturned hand, and carefully unwrapped it.

Everyone crowded around to see. A few gasps escaped some of the men, including Carter. "Geez, Newkirk, where did you find that?" he asked, a mixture of surprise and apprehension in his voice.

"You remember last night, when we were walkin' through those woods, and I saw somethin' on the ground? This is what I saw."

Carter let out a whistle. "Gosh… Now I know why you were so upset."

"Nice ring," LeBeau commented; then looked away quickly. "Can't say the same for the finger, though."

"You found that last night, and you didn't tell anyone?" Hogan crossed his arms and glared at Newkirk, obviously still annoyed.

"Yes, sir," Newkirk glanced at Hogan, and quickly lowered his gaze. "I didn't think it was important…"

"I'll decide what's important! Got it, Corporal?"

"Yes, sir," Newkirk replied meekly.

"That ring looks expensive," Kinch piped up; then, squinting at it a little, added, "Is that an inscription?"

"Yes, it is," Newkirk said, "I can't quite make it out, though. Maybe if I 'ad me magnifyin' glass…"

"We'll take it back to camp," Hogan cut in, "We can examine it more closely there." He eyed his English corporal, and his expression finally softened. "Look, you can't keep things like this a secret, Newkirk, especially from me."

"I know that, sir," Newkirk replied emphatically, "I was just tryin' to spare Carter, and, well, everyone else. It won't 'appen again, I promise."

Hogan grinned and nodded slightly. "Good." He looked at his men and said, "All right, let's have a look around, and then head back to camp. Something tells me we're not gonna find much here."

The men spread out and started examining the area where Newkirk and Carter had discovered the corpses the night before. They pushed on into the woods, never straying too far from each other, when Carter suddenly called out as quietly as possible, "Hey, guys, over here, I think I found something."

Everyone scrambled to Carter's side. They looked where he was pointing, and – sure enough – just beyond the edge of the trees there stood an abandoned, bombed-out factory. It looked like it had been there a while; one of the earlier factories hit, no doubt. Hogan nodded and, with a wordless glance, began to approach the crumbling building; his men following close behind.

As they got close, they noticed movement near the entrance to the building, and froze. Hogan crouched down behind some thick brush to his right, and motioned to the others to do the same. When they were situated, they peered out at the entrance, watching intently. What they saw sent a chill through each of them.

A tall figure, dressed in a long overcoat with a large, wide-brimmed hat on his head, approached the entrance carrying a large sack that contained something about the size and shape of an adult human. He had it slung over his shoulder, and the sack itself didn't appear to be moving.

Hogan's gut tightened in a knot. He had a feeling about what was in that sack. He glanced at his men, and knew they had the same idea. They watched the figure enter the building, and a short time later, emerge empty-handed. The tall man then left, and Hogan waited a while, just to make sure, before getting up and heading towards the factory. His men followed, keeping their eyes and ears open. When they reached the entrance, Hogan reached down and pulled out his gun from his belt. "We're just going in to take a look around, and then we're going back to camp. Got it?" he said.

"Yes, sir," the men responded, pulling their guns out as well.

They entered the building as quietly as possible, side-stepping the debris that was piled up in the main entranceway. They followed along the hallway, sticking close together, the moonlight guiding their way through the open, glassless windows.

They soon reached a staircase, and Hogan pulled out his flashlight. "Let's make this quick, gentlemen," he said; then started down.

They crept down the stairs, listening intently for any signs of life; whether it be the missing townspeople, or the men who caused their disappearance. They reached the bottom of the stairs and, with Hogan's flashlight leading the way, began to walk silently along the hall. They all noticed the smell at about the same time; faint at first, then rapidly growing stronger as they advanced.

As they neared the end of the hallway, the stench became overpowering. The men reached for their handkerchiefs and brought them up to their faces; all except Newkirk, who pulled his collar up over his nose. The hallway ended abruptly, and opened up into a huge room. Hogan swept his light slowly around the room, revealing old, broken machines lining the walls, and more debris scattered here and there.

But it was what was covering the floor that caught their attention. Dozens of bodies, in various stages of decomposition, lay side by side; a few still wrapped in sacks. Many of the exposed corpses had large sutures on their midsections, like they'd been stitched back together, and some of the others had parts missing.

The men stared in shocked silence for a few moments; then Hogan turned to them and said, "I think we've just found our missing persons."


	3. One Thing After Another

**Chapter 3**

_The men stared in shocked silence for a few moments; then Hogan turned to them and said, "I think we've just found our missing persons." _

The men stood there, wide-eyed, their gazes still locked on the carnage that occupied the floor directly in front of them. Finally it began to register what Hogan had just said. Newkirk looked at him, and saw his own shock mirrored in Hogan's eyes. He coughed a few times and asked nervously, "Colonel, shouldn't we be gettin' out of 'ere?" He knew Hogan was right, and it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't want to be there if the tall man returned.

Before Hogan could reply, there was a thud, and everyone looked to see LeBeau stretched out on the ground, out cold.

Newkirk rushed over and knelt down. "Blimey, he's fainted dead away, he 'as!" He looked up at Hogan. "We've got to get 'im out of 'ere, sir."

"I couldn't agree more," Hogan replied. "Kinch, give Newkirk a hand, will you?" He spared a glance behind him; then looked back at his men. "Let's go."

Kinch and Newkirk gently lifted LeBeau off the ground. Newkirk started to put his arms under him, but Kinch shook his head. "I can carry him," he said, sliding his arms under LeBeau's legs and back and picking him up. With LeBeau cradled in his arms, he turned around and began to follow Hogan; who had come up to take the lead.

They made their way back down the hallway, climbed up the staircase, and returned to the first floor as quickly as possible. Then they hurried to the entrance, and when they finally exited the building, they stopped just beyond it to gulp in the fresh air.

Kinch set LeBeau down gently on the ground, and tapped his cheek lightly. "C'mon, Louis, time to wake up," he said.

LeBeau's eyes fluttered open. "Wha…where…where am I?" he stammered.

Newkirk knelt down next to him. "You're safe, little mate," he told him, placing his hand on the Frenchman's shoulder.

LeBeau blinked. "Safe? Safe from what? What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" Kinch said, "You passed out after we discovered those bodies."

Comprehension dawned on LeBeau's face. "Oui, now I remember," he replied, "What a terrible sight…" His voice trailed off as he mentally pictured that scene.

Newkirk noticed LeBeau's ashen face, and said, "'Ere now, don't you be thinkin' about that; you'll make yourself faint again!"

LeBeau looked up at Newkirk and smiled weakly. "You're right, mon ami." He sat up – with a little help from his English friend – and after a few moments rose slowly to his feet. Newkirk held onto him until he was sure the Frenchman was steady enough to stand on his own.

"Feeling better now?" Hogan asked.

LeBeau nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied, "Much better."

"Good. Then let's get back to camp."

Hogan turned to head back to Stalag 13, when Carter, who hadn't said a word since they'd gone into the factory, suddenly spoke up in a small, shaky voice. "All those people… Who could have done that… Why?" The men turned their heads to look at him, and could see he was trembling, his eyes wide with fear; pleading for someone to make some kind of sense of what they'd found.

Hogan walked over and put his hand on Carter's shoulder. "I don't know," he said, "But I'm going to do everything I can to find out. Whoever's doing this needs to be stopped; and the sooner the better."

Just then the sound of a twig snapping nearby was heard, and everyone's eyes grew wide. They stood stock still, their ears straining to pick up any more noises. Almost immediately they heard what sounded like footsteps, and they were coming closer. At a nod from Hogan, the men drew their guns; mentally steeling themselves for whatever was coming their way.

The sound of voices floated through the air toward them, and they instantly recognized German being spoken. A patrol! Hogan breathed a quiet sigh; finding himself almost relieved. He motioned to his men to take off in the opposite direction from the approaching soldiers. Kinch took the lead, followed by LeBeau, Newkirk, Carter, and lastly, Hogan. They started moving as swiftly and silently as possible, hoping to escape the patrol's attention. They hadn't gone far, when Carter tripped over a tree root and went flying forward to the ground. Hogan nearly tripped over him trying to stop in time.

The three men in front stopped and turned around. Hogan waved them on, whispering loudly, "Keep going!" Reluctantly, Kinch, LeBeau and Newkirk turned back and resumed their trek through the woods.

Hogan knelt down next to Carter, who had rolled over and was attempting to sit up. "Are you all right?" He asked quietly, sliding his arm behind the sergeant's back to help him.

Carter looked at him and slowly nodded. "I think so, Colonel."

"I hope so," Hogan muttered; then he began to stand, grabbing Carter's arm and pulling him up. When they were both on their feet, Hogan glanced at him, and noticed a ragged tear in his pants, just below the knee. Even in the darkness, he could see the small dark stain surrounding it.

"You're knee's bleeding," Hogan announced, looking at Carter with concern. "Better let me take a look at it." He started to guide Carter over to a fallen log to sit down, when – seemingly out of thin air – he saw a figure standing behind his sergeant; a tall figure in a long coat and wide-brimmed hat.

Before Hogan could react, the figure grabbed Carter and took a few steps back. Carter's eyes widened with alarm, and Hogan instinctively lunged. The figure reached out and, grabbing the front of Hogan's shirt, lifted him up off his feet and threw him toward the trees. Hogan slammed into the nearest one, smacking his head on it hard, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Colonel!" Carter yelled. He started to struggle with his attacker, when it suddenly spun him around and pushed him up against a tree. It grabbed the sergeant's throat, and leaned in close.

Carter looked at it; his eyes widening in fear and shock. The face he was staring into wasn't…human. It had yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, ridges in the skin running down the sides of its face, and sharp, pointy teeth. It smiled at him, and Carter could sense a malevolence emanating from it, like something he'd never felt before. It leaned in close and began to smell him, inhaling his scent, eliciting an involuntary whimper from the American sergeant.

Suddenly it leaned back and looked at Carter, with what appeared to be a confused expression. At that very moment, there was a crashing noise in the forest behind them, and four German soldiers appeared. The figure turned its head to look at them, sniffing the air. It let go of Carter and advanced on one of the Germans. The soldiers were taken aback, and one of them started shouting at it to halt. When it didn't, they all raised their rifles and fired. But the figure kept coming, and suddenly it had one of the soldiers in its clutches.

The soldier screamed, and the other three turned around and ran away. Then the figure moved off into the darkness, dragging the petrified soldier with it. Carter stood frozen in terror, listening as the noise grew fainter. When it was quiet once again, he came to his senses, and remembered that Hogan was injured. He ran over to him and knelt down, placing his hand on Hogan's shoulder.

"Colonel, are you all right?" Carter asked as he shook him gently. "Please, wake up, sir!"

Hogan blinked his eyes and let out a groan. "Ooh, my head," he said as he reached up to feel the knot forming back there.

Carter inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Colonel, thank goodness you're okay!"

Hogan gingerly rubbed the back of his head and winced. "I wouldn't say, 'okay', Carter, but I think I'll live."

Carter barely registered what Hogan had just said. "Can you stand, sir?" he asked, after helping Hogan to a sitting position.

"Yeah…just give me a minute." Hogan's head was throbbing, and he felt a little dizzy.

"I don't think we have a minute, Colonel; we've got to get out of here, now!" Carter exclaimed as he rose to his feet. He wrapped his hands around Hogan's upper arm and started tugging on it. "Please, we have to hurry, sir, before – it – comes back."

The sense of fear and urgency that was escalating in Carter's voice didn't go unnoticed by Hogan. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he began to stand up; wincing again when his head started pounding harder.

"That, that, _thing_ that knocked you out; it could show up any minute!" Carter was practically panicking by now. "C'mon, sir, we need to go, now! Please!"

"What thing?" Hogan asked, staring at Carter in confusion. Then he suddenly remembered what had happened, and said, "You mean that man in the long coat and hat?"

Carter was visibly shaking. "That was no man," he whispered fiercely, like he was telling a huge secret, "It was…it was… Oh, Colonel, I don't know what it was!"

Hogan reached over and grabbed the sergeant's arm. "Easy there, Carter. Look, I don't know what you thought you saw, but it looked like a man to me." _A very strong man, _Hogan thought as he remembered the way the man had lifted him off his feet.

"But, Colonel, you didn't see its face," Carter replied anxiously, "It was…it was…"

"You can tell me back at camp," Hogan interrupted him. "Let's go."

Relief flooded Carter's face. "Yes, sir!" he exclaimed.

They'd hardly taken a few steps, when they heard something coming towards them from the direction of the camp. Carter froze; the color quickly draining from his face. His eyelids fluttered, and he began to sway.

Hogan noticed, but before he could catch him, Carter dropped to the ground in a dead faint. Hogan, his head still pounding, took up a defensive stance in front of him and pointed his gun in the direction of the noise.

Just then Kinch emerged from the trees and spotted Hogan. "Don't shoot, Colonel! It's me, Kinch!" he called out as quietly as possible.

"Kinch!" Hogan exclaimed with relief, immediately lowering his gun. As Kinch got closer, Hogan saw LeBeau and Newkirk following behind him. "Fellas, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously; then frowned and added, "I thought I told you to keep going."

"We did, sir," Kinch said, "In fact; we were halfway back to camp, when we heard someone scream, and…"

"Andrew!" Newkirk exclaimed, cutting Kinch off. He hurried over and knelt down beside the unconscious sergeant. "Colonel, what's 'appened to me mate, Carter?"

"He fainted," Hogan said. "We had a run-in with that tall man we saw earlier at the factory, and something about the guy has Carter really scared."

"What happened, sir?" Kinch asked, concerned.

Hogan reached up and lightly massaged the bump on the back of his head. "To tell you the truth, I don't know, myself. The guy knocked me out."

"He did?" LeBeau asked, his eyes growing wide, "Why would he do that, Colonel?"

Kinch glanced nervously around the surrounding forest. "I think the bigger question is; where did he go?"

"I think the biggest question is; just who the hell is he?" Hogan replied.

Newkirk, who had been trying to wake Carter, glanced over at the group. "I think he's comin' 'round," he informed them; then turned his attention back to the sergeant.

The men moved closer; watching as Carter slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times; then his eyes flew wide and he threw his arms up as if warding off an invisible enemy. "No! Don't let it get me!" he shouted, terror filling his face.

Newkirk grabbed Carter's flailing arms and held them firmly. "Andrew, it's me, Newkirk," he said, moving his face directly over Carter's, "No one's tryin' to get you. You 'ave to wake up now."

Carter stared at Newkirk, and his expression changed to confusion. "Newkirk?" he asked, his voice quavering, "Is it really you?"

Newkirk smiled. "Yes, it's me, mate."

"What…what happened?"

"You fainted," Newkirk told him. He glanced over at LeBeau and smirked. "You must be takin' lessons from Louis."

"Hey!" LeBeau exclaimed, offended.

"All right," Hogan said, "I think it's time for us to get back to camp; before something else happens."

"Yes, sir," the four men muttered. Newkirk helped Carter to his feet, and the group once again headed toward Stalag 13. They made it back without any further incident, and when they were finally in the tunnels, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boy, I never thought I'd be so glad to see this place," Carter remarked as he walked over and plopped down on the bench against the wall; then bent over to examine his knee.

"Kinch, get on the radio and contact the Underground," Hogan said, "Let 'em know what we found. Oh, and tell them not to go snooping around there just yet; it'd be better if whoever's doing this gets caught, first."

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied as he headed for the radio.

Hogan walked over to Carter and leaned against one of the support beams. "How's your knee?" he asked.

"It's okay," Carter replied, "Just a scratch."

Hogan nodded. "That's good. So, why don't you tell me what happened after I got knocked out?"

Carter began to fill Hogan in. Newkirk and LeBeau wandered over to hear his tale, as well. When Carter started describing the tall man, all three men looked skeptical. When he got to the part about the soldiers firing on the figure, and the shots not slowing it down, Newkirk and LeBeau were both shaking their heads.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head when you fell?" LeBeau asked.

"I'm telling you the truth, guys! That thing kept walking, even after they shot it. Then it grabbed one of them and dragged him into the woods, and then I heard the guy scream…" Carter stopped and swallowed hard; the fear back in his eyes.

No one said anything for a moment. Then Hogan spoke up, "Look, Carter, I know that man scared you pretty bad, but I'm sure that's what he is – a man. Maybe your mind was playing tricks on you. It was pretty dark out there…"

"I know what I saw!"

"Andrew, did it ever occur to you that when the soldiers fired their guns, they missed?" Newkirk suggested.

"Well, even if they did, that doesn't explain the way he looked."

"He could have been wearing a mask," LeBeau said, "You know, to frighten people."

Carter mulled it over for a few moments. "No," he replied, "It wasn't a mask. And he did get shot. I'm telling you guys, he's not a man, and I don't care if you believe me or not!"

"It's all right, Carter," Hogan said, "I know that's what you believe. But you have to understand how unlikely it sounds to us."

Carter sighed. "Yes, sir, I understand. I guess if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe me, either."

Hogan grinned. "Glad you see it our way." Carter flashed him a small smile in return, and Hogan noticed how exhausted the sergeant was. He also realized how dead tired he, himself was, and his head was starting to throb again. "Well, we're not going to get anymore done tonight," he announced to the group at large, "I think it's time to head up to the barracks and get some sleep. We can talk about our next step tomorrow."

The men nodded in agreement. They climbed up the ladder to the barracks, and headed for their bunks. Hogan climbed up as well, and after he'd changed and stretched out on his bunk, his thoughts turned to Carter, and the description he'd given of the man in the long coat and hat. He found himself wondering if what Carter had said was even possible, but before he could even consider the matter, he fell fast asleep.


	4. Questions and Answers, and Questions

**Chapter 4**

The next morning – almost an hour before roll call – the sleeping prisoners in Barracks two were awakened by a very animated Sergeant of the Guard. "Raus, raus!" Schultz yelled as he barged into the barracks, "Everyone, get up; get dressed right now! The Kommandant wants you all outside immediately!"

The men rolled out of their bunks, grumbling as they hurriedly got dressed. Hogan came out of his quarters, rubbing the back of his head and wincing slightly. "What's going on, Schultz?" he asked, "What does the Bald Eagle want to see us for this early?"

Schultz walked over and leaned in toward Hogan. "Major Hochstetter just arrived," he said, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "And he told Colonel Klink to order a roll call. He wants to see if every prisoner is here."

"Major Hochstetter's here? At this hour?" Hogan frowned. _That can't be good. _His head started throbbing again, and he reached up to massage his forehead.

Schultz shrugged. Then he went back to shouting, much to the consternation of the men in the barracks.

Once the prisoners had lined up outside, Schultz walked through and counted them; delighted to find every man there. As soon as he finished, Klink and Hochstetter exited the Kommandant's office, and strode quickly over to the line of prisoners. When they were within earshot, Schultz called out, "All prisoners present and accounted for, Herr Kommandant."

"Are you sure?" Hochstetter yelled as they approached.

"Jawohl, Herr Major," Schultz answered, "I counted them twice!"

Hochstetter kept walking, and didn't stop until he was standing directly in front of Hogan. "So, you _are_ here. I expected you to be missing."

"Missing?" Hogan raised his eyebrows, "How could I be missing? Major, this _is_ the toughest POW camp in Germany, after all. I'm sure Kommandant Klink can tell you that there's never been an escape…"

"Enough!" Hochstetter bellowed. He narrowed his eyes and said, "There's an old abandoned factory not far from here that was set on fire a few hours ago. I don't suppose you know anything about that, do you, Hogan?"

Hogan looked at him curiously. "Major, how could I possibly know about that? I've been in my quarters all night, sleeping."

"Then I suppose you don't know that when the fire was put out, they found scores of bodies in the basement – bodies of people who have gone missing over the past several weeks…?"

Hogan gasped, "That's terrible! Who could do such a thing?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Hochstetter replied, scrutinizing Hogan more closely. He leaned in a little closer and said, "There was a patrol out in the woods last night, and some of the soldiers saw two men, wearing American uniforms, near that factory shortly before it was set on fire."

"Really?" Hogan looked at him with surprise.

"Ja," Hochstetter replied, watching Hogan closely for any type of reaction. When none seemed to be forthcoming, he said, "And do you know what else they saw?"

"What?" Hogan asked.

"There was a man with them; a tall man in a long coat and hat, and he attacked the patrol."

"Do tell."

Anger flashed across Hochstetter's face. "You know who that man is, don't you, Hogan?" he growled, his voice rising, "I know you're behind this, and I'm going to prove it!"

"Major, how could I be?" Hogan replied innocently, "I've been cooped up in this camp for years!"

"Bah!" Hochstetter yelled; then he turned around and stomped off.

Klink waited a moment or two; then he, too, turned to head back to his office. As he walked away, he absently called out, "Dismissed!"

The men shuffled gratefully back into the barracks; most of them returning to their bunks, hoping to catch a little more sleep. Hogan glanced at his four main men and gestured for them to follow him into his quarters. When they'd found seats, Hogan leaned against his desk and crossed his arms; a frown forming on his face. "Now, who do you suppose set that fire?" he pondered aloud.

"My guess would be that tall man, Colonel," Kinch suggested from his seat on the lower bunk.

"Oui, mon Colonel. He probably wanted to destroy the evidence."

"That could be, LeBeau," Hogan said, contemplating, "Or it could be the Gestapo…maybe they _are_ behind this, after all."

Carter shook his head. "No, sir, it was that thing; it knew we found its hiding place."

"Andrew, 'ow could you know that?" Newkirk asked, looking skeptically at him.

"I…don't know how I know, I just do, okay?" Carter replied defensively. How could he tell them? It was the way the thing had sniffed at him – the way it had breathed in his scent. Somehow, Carter instinctively knew it must have picked up on the odor of those corpses lingering on his clothes.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Hogan said, "We have to find out who that guy is." He thought for a moment; then his eyes lit up as he remembered the conversation he'd had with the Underground agents. "I know someone who might be able to help us."

"Who, Colonel?" Kinch asked.

"One of the men at that meeting I went to; his name's Dieter. He was blaming the disappearances on some 'thing', not some person. Maybe I should have a little talk with him."

"Blimey, sir, don't tell me you're startin' to believe Carter, 'ere?"

"Hey, that's not fair, Newkirk," Carter complained, "You didn't see it; if you had, you'd know it's not human." He looked at Hogan. "Right, sir?"

"I still think he's human, Carter," Hogan said, "But Dieter might know something that could help us." He glanced at the questioning expressions on each of his men's faces. "It's a place to start."

The men nodded in agreement.

Hogan uncrossed his arms and straightened up; already feeling better now that he had a plan. "Kinch, contact the Underground; find out where Dieter lives. I'm gonna pay him a visit tonight."

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied.

Carter shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, do you really think it's a good idea to go out there tonight? I mean, that thing is still roaming around…."

Hogan smiled. "I think I can handle it."

Newkirk looked uncomfortable as well. "Sir, you really shouldn't be goin' alone…"

Hogan cut him off. "All right, Newkirk, you can join me," he said.

Newkirk exhaled loudly. "When will I learn to keep me big mouth shut?" he mumbled under his breath.

Carter still looked concerned. "Sir, I don't think…"

"Don't worry," Hogan interrupted, "We'll be careful."

"Yes, sir," Carter replied; although it was obvious he wasn't very happy about Hogan's decision.

* * *

That night, after evening roll call, Hogan double-checked with Kinch on the location of Dieter's house. "Were you able to get a truck from the motor pool?" he asked, knowing the house was quite a distance away.

"Yes, sir," Kinch answered. He hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up. "Colonel, I think it would be a good idea if you brought one more person with you, perhaps someone to keep watch outside; you know, in case that man – or the Gestapo – shows up."

Hogan looked at Kinch, inwardly smiling. "Are you volunteering?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Kinch flashed Hogan a lopsided grin. "You know me too well, sir."

Hogan grinned back. "All right, I suppose one more person couldn't hurt."

* * *

They made it to Dieter's house without incident. Hogan and Newkirk went up and knocked on the door, while Kinch stayed by the truck; keeping a look-out for anything suspicious. The door opened a crack and someone peeked through; examining the men standing on the other side. It didn't take long for that person to recognize one of them, and he opened the door wide. "Papa Bear, it's good to see you," Dieter said as he welcomed him and Newkirk into his home. He gestured toward the living room, indicating the couch and overstuffed chairs on the far side of the room.

"You know why we're here," Hogan said as they all took a seat, "We'd like to know what _you_ know about a strange man that's been roaming the woods lately."

Dieter's eyes grew wide. "That's no man," he said, reaching up and running his hand nervously through his thick, blond hair, "He's some kind of demon, I think. And he's only interested in finding people that have something he wants."

"What do you mean?" Hogan asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Well," Dieter replied, "When I turned two, it was springtime, and some of the people in town suddenly started disappearing, just like they have been over the past two weeks."

"You remember that?" Newkirk cut in, "Seems a bit unlikely for a two-year-old."

"No, I don't remember that," Dieter retorted, "But my grandmother did, and she told me about it when I got older. She had to; she ended up raising me after my parents both disappeared that spring…" Dieter paused for a moment to let that sink in.

"Your folks disappeared?" Hogan looked at him with real sympathy, "I'm sorry that happened."

Dieter nodded. "Thank you, I am, too. But I wasn't the only one to lose someone that spring; it took many people. And now it's come back to do it again."

"How do you know it's the same person that's doing this?" Hogan asked curiously.

"Because my grandmother told me," Dieter replied. "I know this will be hard for you to believe, but my grandmother could 'see' things…"

"Like a fortune teller?" Newkirk interrupted.

Dieter smiled. "Something like that. She knew about the creature, and how it worked. She told me that every twenty-three years it awakens in the spring, and for twenty-three days, it gets to eat…"

"Eat what?" Hogan asked, already dreading the answer.

Dieter looked at Hogan, his face darkening. "Do I really have to tell you?" He sighed and said, "It eats things – things from people – things that it likes." He noticed the confused expressions on the two men staring at him and tried again. "It uses its sense of smell. If it smells something on a person that it likes, say, their heart or liver, it eats it, and that thing becomes a part of it."

Silence fell in the room for a few moments as Hogan and Newkirk tried to digest what they'd just heard. "So you're telling us," Hogan said, breaking the silence at last, "That it goes after people it likes, and eats things out of them."

Dieter nodded.

"Blimey…" Newkirk breathed.

"And just how long has this been going on?" Hogan asked, a note of disbelief tingeing his voice.

"No one knows," Dieter said, "But it appeared when my grandmother was younger – twenty-three years before my parents were taken, to be exact. And she told me her mother remembered the same thing happening twenty-three years before that."

Hogan leaned back and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry, Dieter, but this is all too unbelievable. No one could live that long…"

"I told you, it's not human!" Dieter exclaimed angrily. Then he shook his head and sighed. "I should have known you wouldn't believe me; even the townspeople don't believe me. I've tried to tell them – tried to warn them – but they think it's just some fairy tale."

"But, that doesn't make much sense, does it?" Newkirk spoke up, sounding confused, "If the same thing 'appened twenty-three years ago, some of the older folks 'ere would remember, wouldn't they?"

"A lot of them moved away after it happened," Dieter explained, "And the ones that stayed; well, they completely deny it. I think they're too afraid to admit to themselves, much less to anyone else, that it's real."

"Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with them," Hogan admitted, "I don't believe in spooks or spirits. Whoever's doing this is a person – a very sick, twisted, evil person – and he has to be stopped." He rose from his chair, throwing Newkirk a glance that meant, _time to go._

Dieter led them to the door. As he was opening it, he said, "You're wrong, Papa Bear, it's not a man, or a spirit. It's a demon from hell, and there's no way to stop it. It will keep killing until its time is up; which, by my calculations, will be exactly one week from tonight."

Hogan was about to disagree once again, when he saw by the look on Dieter's face that it would be pointless. He clapped him on the shoulder and said simply, "We'll see." Then he motioned for Newkirk to go out, and followed after him into the darkness.

* * *

"Well, that didn't help much, did it?" Hogan said to Newkirk as they approached the location where they'd left Kinch and the truck.

"If by that you mean you don't believe what Dieter told us, I 'ave to agree with you, sir," Newkirk replied. "I 'ate to say it, but I think the poor bloke's gone 'round the bend."

"I think you're right, Newkirk. That's probably why Fritz told him to be quiet at the meeting… Hey," Hogan suddenly changed topics as they reached the road, "Where's Kinch and the truck?"

They both looked up and down the road, squinting in the dark, but there was no sign of either.

"It's not like 'im to just take off, Colonel," Newkirk uttered, his voice relaying his worry.

"No, it's not," Hogan agreed, "Unless something happened…"

Just then they heard a noise directly across the road from where they were standing. They had barely shifted their gaze in that direction, when a tall, dark figure swept toward them; moving impossibly fast. It stopped in front of Newkirk, and grabbed him by the throat; its other arm circling tightly around the Englishman. Newkirk's eyes popped wide with fear as he stared at the face in front of him; it was exactly how Carter had described it. An involuntary shout tried to escape his throat, but the hand tightened slightly, cutting it off.

For the second time in as many nights, Hogan lunged at the figure. It let go of Newkirk's throat, placed its hand against Hogan's chest, and, with a powerful thrust of its arm, pushed the colonel backwards, sending him flying several yards. Hogan landed hard on his rump, and, after shaking his head to clear it, looked up at the figure with disbelief.

Newkirk stared in horror as the figure pushed Hogan away, then watched as it grabbed his hand and brought it up to its nose. He got a good look at the thing's own hand; it was gnarled and disfigured, the long fingers crooked and boney. It sniffed Newkirk's hand for a moment, breathing in deep; then it looked into Newkirk's terrified eyes and smiled – its razor-sharp teeth shining in the moonlight.

Hogan saw what the figure was doing, and scrambled to his feet. He'd taken only one step, when he froze. Two large black shapes rose directly behind the figure, and Hogan's jaw dropped when he realized what they were…wings!

Newkirk saw them, too, and a scream started to form in his throat. The figure let go of his hand and grabbed him tightly, and as its wings began to move up and down, Newkirk opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt the air moving past him faster and faster, when suddenly he noticed his feet starting to leave the ground…

TBC


	5. Timing is Everything

**Chapter 5**

_Newkirk opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt the air moving past him faster and faster, when suddenly he noticed his feet starting to leave the ground… _

Suddenly there was a roaring sound, and a bright light cut through the darkness, shining directly on Newkirk and the creature that held him. Hogan watched as the creature turned toward the light; instinctively letting go of Newkirk. At that very instant, a speeding truck slammed into it, sending the thing flying up into the air. The truck whizzed past; then began to slow down, while the creature fell back to Earth and landed in the middle of the road with a loud thud.

Newkirk had been only inches from the ground, but when the creature let go, his feet hit the pavement awkwardly, and he stumbled and fell backwards. He felt more than saw the truck speed past as he landed on his back; then his head hit the ground and he lost consciousness.

Hogan saw Newkirk fall, and rushed over to his side. He knelt down and grabbed the Englishman's wrist; checking his pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief to find it strong and steady; then looked up in time to see the truck stop and turn around.

The vehicle came back to a spot on the road near where Hogan was kneeling next to Newkirk, and stopped. Kinch got out and ran over to them. "Colonel!" he called out as he approached, "Are you okay?" He saw Newkirk on the ground and crouched down next to him; opposite of Hogan. "How is he?" he asked worriedly.

As if on cue, a groan escaped Newkirk's lips, and his eyes fluttered open. "Ooh, what 'appened?" he uttered, reaching up to touch his throbbing head. As he did so, the memory of where he'd been just moments ago came back to him, and his eyes widened in terror. He looked up at his C.O. and, latching onto Hogan's arm tightly with his upraised hand, shouted, "Colonel! That thing…that, that, bloody thing! Its face was…and it 'ad long, ruddy sharp teeth…and wings! It was tryin' to take me…" He sucked in his breath, and his voice took on a note of panic. "Where is it? Is it gone?"

Hogan brought up his free arm and placed his hand reassuringly on the corporal's shoulder. "It's all right, Newkirk, take it easy. That thing can't hurt you now."

"It can't?" Newkirk still looked scared. "Wha…what happened to it?" he stammered.

Hogan glanced over at his radioman and said, "Kinch hit it with the truck." A small smile formed on his face as he added, "I don't think it's gonna be getting up any time soon."

Newkirk followed Hogan's gaze, and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw Kinch crouching next to him on the other side. "Kinch! You're all right!" he exclaimed; then his expression changed to confusion. "Where were you?"

"I'd like to know that, myself," Hogan said, eyeing Kinch reproachfully.

"That thing showed up while you two were in the house," Kinch started to explain, "I saw it standing in the road staring at me, and then it just turned around and took off. So I decided to go after it, but it was moving very fast, so I hopped in the truck to follow it."

Hogan's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed, anger evident in his voice, "Why didn't you come get us?"

"I don't know, Colonel," Kinch replied apologetically, "I guess I was afraid that if I did, it would get away." He waited for Hogan to chastise him, but the colonel just kept looking at him. "I chased it for about half a mile," he said, resuming his tale, "And I was just about to overtake it, when it took off into the air. Colonel, that thing can fly!"

Hogan and Newkirk exchanged glances. "Yeah, we know," Hogan said.

"Well," Kinch continued, "I followed it for another mile or so, when it suddenly turned around and took off in the opposite direction. So I turned around, too, and when I got back here, I saw it had Newkirk and was about to take off, so I…"

"Smashed into the bloody thing with the truck," Newkirk finished for him, grinning broadly.

Hogan looked cross for another moment or two; then he broke out in a smile. "Well, I can't fault you for your timing," he said, "You _did_ stop that thing from taking off with Newkirk."

"Yes, sir," Kinch grinned.

"So, is it dead, then?" Newkirk asked, looking up at Kinch, "Did you kill it?" He began to sit up, when the world suddenly tilted at an odd angle, and he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. "Cor!" he mumbled, reaching up and feeling the knot back there, "Must 'ave hit me 'ead harder than I thought!"

_I know the feeling!_ Hogan thought to himself. "Easy there," he said, sliding his arm behind Newkirk's back and helping him to a sitting position, while Kinch held onto the Englishman's arm on the other side. "Don't want you getting up too fast," Hogan told him, "Or you'll just end up back on the ground."

Newkirk nodded; then winced when his whole head started pounding. He sat there for a few moments, until the dizziness passed. Then he looked at Hogan and nodded again slightly, indicating he was ready to get up.

Hogan exchanged a glance with Kinch, and the two of them helped Newkirk to his feet. Another wave of dizziness hit him, and Newkirk had to hold on to the two men until it faded. At last he appeared ready to go. As the three of them began to walk toward the truck, their gazes shifted to the large black lump in the middle of the road.

"It's not movin, Colonel," Newkirk murmured, "You think it's dead?"

Hogan stared at it for a moment. "There's only one way to find out," he said. He started to walk over to it, when Kinch and Newkirk each grabbed one of his arms.

"Uh, Colonel, that might not be such a good idea," Kinch warned; then dropped his hand when Hogan looked at him and added, "At least, not by yourself."

"He's right, sir," Newkirk said, letting go of Hogan's other arm, "I think you should take Kinch with you."

Hogan's head swiveled to look at Newkirk. "And what about you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I, uh, what I mean is," Newkirk stammered, "Shouldn't someone be watchin' the truck, sir? You know, just in case."

"In case of what?"

"Well, sir, in case…in case of…"

Hogan inwardly smiled. "Newkirk, you can watch the truck. Kinch and I will go see if that thing's dead."

Newkirk sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir," he replied.

While Newkirk took the last remaining steps toward the truck and leaned against it, Hogan and Kinch approached the dark mass in the road. As they neared, they could make out parts of it in the moonlight – the legs that stretched out along the pavement, the head that was partially covered by the large hat it always wore, and the two black shapes that were draped across it like blankets. There was nothing about it that even remotely looked human, and the two men felt a shudder go through their bodies as they gazed apprehensively at the thing in front of them.

"Colonel?" Kinch muttered quietly after a few moments.

"Yes?" Hogan answered automatically.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Hogan waited a moment, and then replied, "I wish I knew."

Another minute passed, and Kinch said, "Well, whatever it is, it's not moving."

"Yeah, I'd say it's dead," Hogan agreed. He gave his head a shake and said, "Let's get out of here."

Kinch nodded. "I'm with you, Colonel."

The two men turned around and headed back to the truck, much to Newkirk's relief. Then they piled in, and Kinch, who was in the driver's seat, started up the vehicle and took off in the direction of Stalag 13.

As they were driving away, the figure on the road twitched, and its eyes opened wide. It saw the truck receding, and knew it wasn't going to get what it wanted tonight. But it would try again as soon as it recovered, and that wouldn't take long; there were plenty of soldiers roaming the woods. Then it would go after that one again – the one with the hands it liked – and this time, no one would stop it.

* * *

Kinch made it back to camp, and stopped just beyond the gate. He parked the truck on the side of the road, and the three men got out and headed for the tree stump entrance that would take them down to the tunnels. Newkirk had begun feeling dizzy again, so Hogan sent Kinch down ahead of the corporal to help him, if needed. He also made a mental note to have Wilson check Newkirk out as soon as possible. Once they were in the tunnel, they headed for the radio room just under Barracks two, and were greeted by a worried Carter and LeBeau.

"Mon Colonel!" LeBeau exclaimed, "What took you so long?"

"Yeah, we were getting pretty worried, boy," Carter piped up; then realized what he was saying and added, "I mean, sir."

"We ran into a little trouble out by Dieter's place," Hogan said as he led Newkirk over to the bench next to the wall, "But we made it back safely, so there's nothing to worry about."

"What kind of trouble?" LeBeau asked.

Carter watched Newkirk sit down, and instantly became concerned. "Newkirk, are you okay?"

"I'm all right, Andrew," Newkirk replied as he reached up and massaged his temple. "Just a bit of an 'eadache, is all."

"He fell and hit his head," Hogan said.

LeBeau looked at Hogan and raised his eyebrow. "That seems to be going around," he murmured.

Hogan frowned. "Yeah, well, I think he hit his head a little harder than I hit mine," he replied, then turned his attention to Newkirk. "I'm going to have Wilson check you out when we get up to the barracks."

"You don't need to do that, sir. I couple of aspirins should do the trick."

"Aspirins don't do much for a concussion," Hogan countered.

Newkirk knew he wasn't going to win the argument. "Yes, sir," he replied with a sigh.

"So, what happened out there?" Carter blurted out, the suspense getting to him.

Hogan took a deep breath. "We had a run-in with that thing…"

"Thing, Colonel?" LeBeau interrupted.

"Yeah, thing," Hogan answered, "And it looked just like how Carter described it."

"I knew it!" Carter exclaimed excitedly, "I told you, sir, it's not human; it's some kind of evil creature, or devil, or maybe it's a ghoul…"

"It's not a ghoul!" Newkirk exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, whatever it is," Hogan continued, "It showed up outside Dieter's house, and attacked Newkirk."

"It did?" Carter looked at Newkirk worriedly. "Did it hurt you, buddy?"

"No, just grabbed me and shook me up a bit," Newkirk informed him, "But then Kinch hit it with the truck, and it let go. That's when I fell and hit me 'ead."

"Kinch hit it with the truck?" LeBeau echoed, looking surprised.

"Yes, he did," Hogan said, a grin forming on his face, "Knocked it straight into the air!"

"Wow!" Carter exclaimed, "What happened next?"

"It fell back down on the road, and didn't move," Hogan said. "We checked before we left, and it's dead."

"Really?" Carter asked, doubt lacing his voice, "Are you sure it's dead?"

Newkirk smiled. "As a ruddy doornail," he answered. His stomach suddenly lurched, and he groaned. "Blimey, I don't feel too good," he said as he put a hand on his stomach.

"All right, let's get you upstairs," Hogan said, walking over to help Newkirk up, "I'll put you in my quarters for now. Carter, go get Wilson; tell him to come to our barracks to take a look at Newkirk."

"Yes, sir," Carter responded; then he took off.

Hogan held onto Newkirk's arm as he led him over to the ladder. "Can you make it?" he asked the corporal.

Newkirk nodded; then made a face. Hogan noticed his color, and quickly fetched a bucket from the corner of the room. He got back just in time.

After Newkirk finished emptying the contents of his stomach into the bucket, Hogan ushered him up to the barracks and to his quarters. He made him lie down, and took a seat on the chair next to his desk. While he waited for Wilson to show up, his thoughts turned to the thing out there on the road. What was it, really? Were there more of them out there? Was Dieter telling the truth? And, most importantly, was it really dead?

Hogan sighed and shifted in his chair. He looked over at Newkirk, who was stretched out on the bottom bunk with his eyes closed, and frowned. Right now the important thing was making sure Newkirk was okay. The answers to his questions could wait.


	6. Nothing is Final

**Chapter 6**

By the time Wilson arrived, Kinch and LeBeau had climbed up to the barracks, poured themselves each a cup of lukewarm coffee, and taken a seat at the long table in the middle of the room. As soon as the medic entered Hogan's quarters, Carter grabbed some coffee and sat down next to LeBeau. Almost immediately Hogan came out of his quarters, and, filling his own cup, stood by the stove, looking frustrated.

"Wilson kick you out, Colonel?" Kinch asked, already knowing the answer.

Hogan nodded; then took a sip of his coffee. Sometimes the medic's demand for privacy when he examined someone irritated Hogan no end.

After Wilson finished examining Newkirk, he joined Hogan and his men in the main barracks, and confirmed Hogan's worst fear – Newkirk had a concussion. The medic indicated he didn't consider it too serious, but Newkirk would have to be watched for a few days.

"You'll need to wake him up every two hours," Wilson instructed, "Make sure he's responding normally before you let him go back to sleep."

"Normal, as in…" Hogan prompted.

"Yeah, what do you consider normal?" Kinch piped up.

"This _is_ Newkirk we're talking about," added LeBeau.

Carter frowned at his two teammates. "Geez, guys, that's not very nice."

LeBeau rolled his eyes. "We were only joking, André!"

Hogan threw a glare at all three of them, and they quickly shut up. "You were saying, Wilson?" he said, turning his attention back to the medic.

A bemused expression briefly appeared on Wilson's face; then it was gone. "Just make sure he knows who he is, where he is, who you are…things like that. If he seems pretty lucid, then he can go back to sleep." He looked at Hogan, contemplating for a moment. "If you want, I can stay with him, sir," he volunteered.

"No, that's all right, I can do it," Hogan replied.

"Colonel," Kinch said, "I can take care of Newkirk tonight. You should get some rest; you're still getting over that knock you took to your own head."

Wilson threw a concerned glance at Hogan, but he ignored it. "I can handle it, Kinch," Hogan stated firmly. He set his half-empty coffee cup down on the table, and headed for his quarters. "I think it's time for all of us to get some shut-eye," he said, glancing around the room: then he entered his quarters and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Like clockwork, Hogan woke Newkirk every two hours, making him answer basic questions until he was satisfied that the Englishman knew what was going on. Then he'd let him go back to sleep, and climb up to his own bunk to do the same. Each time he performed the routine, it took him longer to fall back to sleep; so by the time morning arrived, he was wide awake; and exhausted. _If we have to do this one more night, I think I'll take Kinch up on his offer, _he thought as he hopped off his bunk and began to get dressed.

When he was finished, he sat down on the side of the lower bunk and reached up to grab Newkirk's shoulder. "Time to wake up," he said, shaking the corporal gently, "We've got roll call in 20 minutes."

Newkirk's face screwed up in irritation, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. "Ah, gov'nor, 'ave a 'eart! Five more minutes…" his voice trailed off as he closed his eyes.

"Nope. Sorry, Sleeping Beauty, you have to get up now."

Newkirk groaned when he realized Hogan wasn't going to stop. He opened his eyes a crack, and uttered, "You don't look like ruddy Prince Charmin', you know."

"I don't?" Hogan exclaimed in mock surprise; then, his eyes twinkling, he said, "Well, if it gets you out of that bunk, I can still kiss you."

Newkirk's eyes flew wide. "No, no, that's not necessary, sir, I'm gettin' up." He sat up quickly; then instantly regretted it when his head started throbbing so hard, it drowned out Hogan's next words.

"Easy, Newkirk," Hogan said, seeing the Englishman grimace in pain, "I wasn't serious!" When Newkirk didn't respond, he grabbed onto his arm. "Are you okay?" he asked, becoming concerned.

The pounding subsided enough for Newkirk to hear Hogan's question. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding; then replied, "Yes, sir, I'm all right." He reached up and, placing his hand against his head, let out a moan. "Ooh, blimey, I sure could use some more of those aspirins!"

Hogan got up and went over to his desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out a small container of aspirins. After taking two pills out, he put the container back and returned to Newkirk. "Here, take these," he said, handing the aspirins over to him. Then he picked up the glass of water that had been sitting nearby – in case Newkirk needed it during the night – and gave it to the corporal.

Newkirk smiled gratefully as he took the pills and the glass. He downed the aspirins with one gulp, and handed the glass back to Hogan. "Thanks, Colonel," he said; then moved his legs over the side of the bunk, and began to stand up. This time he took it slow; he didn't want a repeat of earlier. Hogan held onto his arm, helping to keep him steady. Still, when he was finally on his feet, his head started pounding again, and the room briefly began to spin. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and as soon as it passed, he nodded at Hogan to indicate he was all right.

Hogan let go of Newkirk's arm, but hovered nearby as the Englishman changed into his uniform. When Newkirk was ready, they went out into the main barracks, where the rest of the men were in various stages of waking up and getting ready for roll call. Carter and LeBeau were the first to spot their English friend emerge from Hogan's quarters, and they watched him walk over with a mixture of hope and concern on their faces. Newkirk did his best to allay their fears; convincing them with his usual aplomb that he was 'right as rain'. They naturally bought it, and were relieved to see him feeling so much better.

Hogan wasn't convinced; however, and he was determined to keep a watchful eye on Newkirk for a little while longer.

* * *

Roll call came and went, and when the men filed back into the barracks, they took their customary seats around the table. LeBeau poured them some coffee, and the conversation predictably turned to the creature.

"Are you really sure it's dead, Colonel?" Carter asked, still not convinced.

Hogan nodded. "I'm sure. I saw what happened to it when Kinch hit it with the truck; there's no way anyone – or anything – could survive that."

"Yeah, Andrew," Kinch agreed, "Besides, we checked it out before we left, like the Colonel said last night. I guarantee you, it wasn't moving."

"Say, that reminds me," Hogan said, "Kinch, contact the Underground; tell them we found out what was killing all the people around here, and we took care of it. Also, tell them to pass the information on to Dieter; we might as well let him know, too."

Kinch eyed Hogan curiously. "You want me to fill them in on the details, sir?"

"No!" Hogan exclaimed, shaking his head. "Just tell them it's a deranged killer; or something like that. They'd never believe us if we told them the truth."

All the men unconsciously nodded at that.

Kinch got up from his seat at the table. "Okay, Colonel, I'll send the message right away…" he was cut off by Sergeant Olsen, who'd been keeping watch at the barracks' door.

"Major Hochstetter's here!" Olsen shouted as he glanced over at Hogan.

Hogan frowned. "What, again? Doesn't he have anything better to do?"

Olsen had returned his attention to the compound. "He's getting out of his car, and he's heading towards…" he paused, watching to see where the Gestapo Major was going. "Yep, he's going to Klink's office."

"Then I think it's time for us to go to _my _office," Hogan said as he stood up. He made a beeline for his quarters; his men right behind him. They wasted no time setting up the coffee pot to listen in to the conversation, and turned it on just in time to hear Klink greeting the Major.

"_Major Hochstetter, what a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." _

"Klink's not the only one who's surprised," LeBeau muttered.

"_I'm sure you weren't, Klink. Tell me, were your prisoners all here and accounted for this morning?"_

"_Yes, Major, of course they were!"_

"_I see."_

They could hear Hochstetter's footsteps through the receiver as he paced. It continued long enough to make even Hogan start to grow concerned. Finally the Gestapo Major spoke up.

"_Klink, did you know that a number of soldiers who were sent to patrol the woods last night have completely disappeared?"_

"_They have? Where do you think they went, Major?"_

A pause. _"That's what I'm trying to find out, Klink!" _

Hogan could have sworn the coffee pot shook slightly when Hochstetter yelled.

"_They were supposed to report in this morning, but they never showed up. Klink, are you sure Hogan was here all night?"_

"_Major, you can't be serious! Even if Colonel Hogan did manage to escape – which would be next to impossible, I might add – I hardly think he could take down an entire patrol!"_

Kinch smirked. "He sure likes to blame everything on you, doesn't he, Colonel?"

"Some things never change," Hogan replied with a lopsided grin.

"Blimey, what do you suppose 'appened to that patrol, sir?" Newkirk asked.

"Maybe they came to their senses and deserted," LeBeau suggested.

Carter smiled. "Boy, wouldn't that be funny if a whole patrol decided to desert…"

"Shh," Hogan uttered, holding up his hand. They all turned their attention back to the conversation between Hochstetter and Klink.

"_But, Major Hochstetter, I can't spare that many guards!"_

"_Klink! You are going to send out as many guards as I tell you, to search for that patrol… Understand?"_

"_Major, I need those guards to keep the prisoners from attempting an escape…"_ Klink was interrupted by a knock on his door. _"Come in," _they heard him call out. The door opened, and Schultz's voice came booming through the receiver.

"_Kommandant, there is a soldier here who wants to talk to you right away!"_

"_Schultz, can't you see I'm busy with Major Hochstetter?"_

"_But, Herr Kommandant, he insists on talking to you. He said his patrol was attacked last night…"_

"_What? Don't just stand there, Sergeant, bring him here immediately!"_

"_Jawohl, Herr Major!"_

As soon as they heard Schultz leave, Hogan glanced at his men with a curious expression. "This is getting more interesting by the minute," he remarked.

"Yeah, boy, it's just like listening to a radio show!" Carter replied excitedly, "I used to listen to them all the time back home. I think my favorite was – well, actually, I had two favorites, you see – although, the one that came on at…"

"Carter!" Hogan shouted in exasperation.

"Uh, sorry sir," Carter apologized, wilting under Hogan's frown, "Guess I got carried away again."

The men once again turned their attention to the coffee pot; Newkirk's extended glare at Carter notwithstanding.

They heard the door open and the shuffling of feet; then Schultz's voice again. _"Herr Kommandant, this is Corporal Schneider."_

"_Corporal Schneider, come in, have a seat. You say your patrol was attacked last night…?"_

"_I'll ask the questions, Klink! Now, Corporal Schneider, you say your patrol was attacked last night…?"_

A few chuckles escaped some of the men in Hogan's quarters.

"_Ye…Yes, Herr Major."_

"_Well? What happened?"_

"_We had just finished checking the area we were assigned to, and were about to start back, when, when…"_

"_Corporal, stop shaking and tell me!"_

"_This, this thing attacked us!"_

"'_Thing', did you say?"_

"_Shut up, Klink! What thing, Corporal?"_

Hogan and his men glanced at each other with alarm.

"_I…I don't know, Major! It was tall, and it was dressed like a man, only it was no man! It was strong, and had sharp teeth, and yellow eyes, and it started grabbing men and killing them, and tearing things out of them, and…"_

"_Corporal! Get a hold of yourself!"_

The sound of a slap echoed through the receiver.

"_I'm sorry Major, it was just so horrible…"_

"_It's going to be more horrible for you if you don't stop crying and tell me what happened next!"_

"Boy, Hochstetter can sure be mean when he wants to be," Carter murmured.

"_I… I didn't know what to do, so I ran, and ended up here. Major, they're dead, they're all dead…"_

"It couldn't be that thing I hit with the truck, could it, Colonel?" Kinch asked.

Hogan shook his head. "No way, Kinch, it was dead…we checked!"

"Well, maybe it attacked the patrol before it came after us, sir," Newkirk suggested.

"Mon Colonel, I think Hochstetter is asking another question," LeBeau cut in.

"_How do you know they're all dead, Corporal?"_

"_I saw them, Major; saw what was left of them…"_

"_When did this happen, Corporal Schneider?"_

"_Klink, I already told you; I'll ask the questions!"_

"_It was about an hour ago; I know because I looked at my watch just after I got away."_

"An hour ago?" Carter echoed.

"Colonel, that's not possible…" Kinch's voice trailed off.

"Blimey, you don't think…?"

"No, I don't, Newkirk, it couldn't be," Hogan said.

"But, what if that ruddy thing survived, after all?"

"It couldn't have; it was dead!" Hogan exclaimed.

"Colonel," Newkirk replied, "Didn't Dieter tell us that thing can't be killed?"

Silence fell over the room for a few moments. Finally Kinch spoke up. "Well, I think we have one of two possibilities, here. Either there's another one of those things roaming around out there, or…"

"Or what?" Carter asked.

"Or, we didn't kill that thing like we thought."


	7. Surprises Around Every Corner

**Chapter 7**

Kinch's words hung heavy in the air, echoing through the minds of each of the men; _"…we didn't kill that thing like we thought." _

Before anyone could comment, they were interrupted by the sound of Hochstetter's voice filtering through the coffee pot. _"All right, Corporal Schneider, you will come with me. I want you to show me where your patrol was attacked."_

"_Bu…but, Herr Major, I don't want to go back there…"_

"_I don't care what you want! Now, get going!"_

Hogan and his men heard Klink's office door open; then footsteps clomping out of the room, fading as they moved away. The door closed, and when they heard Klink mutter, _"Good riddance!" _they knew Hochstetter had left.

Hogan nodded at Kinch, who unplugged the coffee pot receiver and put it away. Then he let out a big sigh, stood up from the chair he'd been occupying, and began to pace. After a few moments he stopped and looked at his men.

"I just don't get it. Even if that thing had survived, it was in no condition to attack an entire patrol!"

"Maybe it_ is_ a different one after all, mon Colonel," LeBeau suggested.

"Dieter said there was only one," Newkirk stated.

Hogan frowned. "Yeah, and he also said that thing appears every 23 years, and only hangs around for 23 days."

"He also said it can't be killed, sir," Newkirk replied quietly.

Kinch raised his eyebrow. "What else did Dieter tell you two, Colonel?"

Hogan exchanged a glance with his English corporal; then proceeded to fill the rest of his men in on what Dieter had told them. When he was finished, Kinch and LeBeau looked shocked, and Carter was not only horrified, but his color had drained away.

"It…it eats things from people?" Carter stammered.

"That's what Dieter said," Newkirk replied, "Or, rather, what his grandmother told 'im."

"I don't know, Colonel, this all seems too fantastic to believe," LeBeau responded.

Hogan nodded. "I know, I'm still having trouble, myself." He paused for a moment, and then his face took on a look of determination. "I think it's time we have another talk with Dieter," he announced; then turned to look at his radioman. "Kinch, contact the Underground; tell them to set up a meeting tonight – same place I met with them three nights ago. And tell them to bring Dieter."

"Sir," Newkirk piped up, fear lacing his voice, "Do you think we should be goin' out tonight? I mean, with that ruddy thing on the loose and all…"

Hogan smiled. "You're staying here, Newkirk. You've still got a concussion, remember? I can take someone else." He barely had time to glance around the room, when LeBeau jumped up from his seat.

"I'll go with you, Colonel," he eagerly volunteered.

"Now, wait a minute, Louis," Newkirk responded, "You 'aven't seen that thing in action. You don't know what you're gettin' yourself into..."

"He's right, Louis," Carter cut in, "That thing is like something out of your worst nightmare."

LeBeau stood up straight and puffed out his chest. "I am not afraid, mes amis!"

"If you run into that thing, you ruddy will be!"

"All right," Hogan interrupted, "I'll take LeBeau with me. The barn's not that far, we shouldn't run into any problems."

Newkirk shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, I still don't think…"

Hogan sighed and turned his attention to Newkirk. "Look, I know you're worried, and I know why. But that thing hasn't shown any interest in carting me off, and I don't think it's noticed LeBeau, either. I'm sure we'll be all right."

Newkirk returned Hogan's gaze. "I ruddy well hope so," he said.

"Me, too," Kinch muttered under his breath.

* * *

That night, after roll call, Hogan and LeBeau slipped out of camp and headed for the abandoned barn where they were to meet up with some of the members of the Underground. They made their way quickly through the forest, and arrived safely. After Hogan knocked on the door, using the prearranged code, Fritz opened it and welcomed them inside.

"Papa Bear, it is good to see that you are still all right," Fritz said as they walked over and took a seat.

Hogan noticed that Dieter was the only other person there. "Where are the rest of the men?" he asked.

"They won't be coming," Fritz informed him, "They are too afraid. Every day we hear about more people being killed…and it still hasn't stopped."

Hogan nodded grimly. "I know, and that's what we're here to discuss." He looked at Dieter and said, "I want to know what else you know about that thing out there." He paused as he watched Fritz's face register surprise; then added, "And I want to know if there's some way to kill it."

"What?" Fritz exclaimed, "Don't tell me you actually believe that Dieter knows what that thing is? He still believes in fairy tales!"

"I've seen that thing, and it's not a fairy tale!" Hogan shouted; a mixture of anger and fear in his voice.

Dieter's eyes grew wide. "You've seen it? When? Where?"

Hogan inhaled deeply; then slowly let his breath out. He told Dieter and Fritz about the encounters he had with the thing – first in the woods with Carter, and again with Newkirk and Kinch the night before. He also mentioned that the creature was attempting to take off with Newkirk when Kinch hit it with the truck.

"We thought for sure it was dead," Hogan said as he reached the end of his tale, "We checked; it wasn't moving! And we just learned this morning that a German patrol was attacked by something that sounds a lot like our monster out there."

"I told you, Papa Bear, it can't be killed," Dieter said. "No matter how badly you wound it, all it has to do is find more people, and take what it needs; then it becomes whole again."

"There has to be some way to stop it," LeBeau interjected, "I don't believe it can't die… C'est impossible!"

"I agree with your Frenchman, here," Fritz piped up, "It's impossible!"

"Not for a demon," Dieter said.

LeBeau frowned. "How do you know it's a demon?"

"Well, I don't know for sure," Dieter amended, "But whatever it is, it isn't human, and there's nothing in this world that can kill it. The only thing you can do –the only thing any of us can do – is wait six more days. Then the creature will go back into hibernation, and we will be safe from it for the next 23 years."

The barn grew quiet as Hogan, LeBeau, and Fritz contemplated Dieter's words. At last Hogan broke the silence. "I'm sorry Dieter, but I just can't accept that. Everything that exists can be destroyed, and I'm going to figure out how to destroy that thing once and for all."

Hogan stood up to leave, prompting the rest of the men to rise. Before he turned to go, Dieter reached over and grabbed his arm.

"That man that was with you last night; the Englishman…"

"What about him?" Hogan asked.

"You said the creature was about to take him away. That means it likes something he has."

"Yeah, so?"

Dieter leaned in a little closer. "Then you better keep him hidden away for the next six days, or the creature will find him." He leaned back and dropped his hand. "Of course, it will probably find him, anyway."

LeBeau narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Dieter sighed. "It's like I told Papa Bear last night; once it finds something it likes on a person, it won't stop until it gets it. It's going to hunt down your English friend and take what it wants."

"It'll have to get through me, first," Hogan replied with grim determination, "And a whole lot of other people."

"Don't think it can't," Dieter replied.

A stab of worry shot through Hogan, and suddenly he wanted to get back to camp as soon as possible. He threw a glance at LeBeau, and they turned to go.

As Hogan and LeBeau approached the door, Dieter called out; "You would be better off staying out of that thing's way until the six days are up, Papa Bear. You, and your men!"

Once outside, LeBeau looked at Hogan. "Do you really believe what Dieter said about that thing, mon Colonel?"

Hogan sighed. Then he nodded, and said, "Yes, LeBeau; unfortunately, I do."

* * *

When Hogan and LeBeau had left for the meeting with the Underground; Kinch had been manning the radio, as usual. Newkirk and Carter had also been in the tunnel – officially, to catch up on some unfinished work they had down there. But, unofficially, they had wanted to see the colonel and LeBeau off, and once the two of them had left, Newkirk wasted no time letting his worry show.

"Blimey, I just 'ope they don't run into that thing out there," Newkirk said as he began to walk back and forth in front of the table where Kinch was sitting.

"Careful," Kinch stated; a twinkle in his eye, "You keep pacing like that, and everyone's gonna mistake you for the colonel."

Newkirk stopped and eyed Kinch crossly. "Very funny," he replied, "I don't suppose you could take this a little more seriously?"

"Well, I can start pacing, too, but who's gonna listen to the radio?"

"Kinch!" Newkirk exclaimed angrily.

Kinch threw up his hands. "Relax, Newkirk, I'm only kidding. I'm just as worried as you are, but I think we should stay calm – "

"I _am_ calm!"

"Boy, you could've fooled me!" Carter blurted out.

For a moment, Newkirk's body tensed, and the other two men glanced at each other; fully expecting a verbal onslaught to ensue, heavily laced with English expletives. But instead, Newkirk let out a huge sigh, and his shoulders visibly drooped.

"Sorry about that, mates. I'm just worried about the colonel and LeBeau."

"So are we, Peter," Kinch responded. "Look, the colonel was right; that thing isn't interested in him, or LeBeau. I'm sure they'll make it there and back; no problem."

"Yeah, Newkirk," Carter said, "I bet that thing's nowhere near here, anyway. LeBeau and the colonel are probably more likely to get picked up by the Germans, than get attacked by that – "

"Andrew," Newkirk cut in, becoming irritated again, "Let's worry about one thing at a time, shall we?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Carter replied, looking embarrassed.

Newkirk just rolled his eyes; then went back to pacing.

About half an hour later, Kinch sat up straight in his chair and grabbed for his pad of paper; listening intently as a message began to come through over the radio. He started writing down the message; a frown creasing his brow about halfway through. He asked to have it repeated, and frowned even more. When the message was finished, he pulled the earphones from his head, and as he dropped them on the table, he let out a loud whistle.

"What? What is it, Kinch?" Newkirk asked from his position next to the table. He and Carter had both come over when they saw Kinch receiving a message.

"You're not gonna believe this," Kinch said, "That was London on the radio. You know that bombing raid that was scheduled for next week?"

Newkirk and Carter nodded.

"Well, some idiot decided at the last minute to reschedule it for tonight. They're gonna be bombing some areas nearby…" Kinch paused as he looked at the other two with alarm, "Including the area where the Underground is having its meeting."

Newkirk's eyes popped wide. "What?" he shouted, "Bloody 'ell, Kinch, we've got to warn the gov'nor, and Louis!" He turned and ran down the tunnel toward the exit before Kinch could stop him.

Carter, who also had a stunned expression on his face, watched Newkirk leave; then looked at Kinch. "What do we do now?" he asked him.

"You better go after Newkirk," Kinch said; then, when Carter turned to leave, a thought occurred to him, and he called out, "No, wait!"

Carter turned back. "What, Kinch?"

"Newkirk will make it to the meeting place faster by himself. He should get there just in time to warn Louis and the colonel."

"You think so?"

Kinch smiled. "I'd bet my next paycheck on it." _Besides, there's no sense in having both of you out there when the raid starts, _he thought, but decided to keep that to himself.

* * *

Newkirk raced through the woods, going as fast as he could without getting tripped up too much by the debris on the forest floor. He'd been so focused on warning Hogan and LeBeau, he hadn't even stopped to think about the danger he was putting himself in. But as he neared the abandoned barn, he slowed just a little, and glanced around nervously. Well, if that creature was out there somewhere, there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

The creature was indeed out there somewhere, and it raised its head; inhaling the night air deeply. Suddenly it caught a whiff of something familiar; the scent of something it liked, of something it tried to get the previous night, but had been stopped. It grinned broadly, and started off in the direction of the tantalizing odor.

Newkirk caught up with Hogan and LeBeau just as they were walking away from the barn. Before he could get a word out, Hogan spoke up.

"Newkirk! What are you doing out here?" he exclaimed angrily, although it was fear, more than anger, that was prompting his reaction.

"Colonel!" Newkirk shouted, "There's a bombing raid…you and Louis 'ave to get out of 'ere right now!"

"That raid isn't scheduled until next week. And you didn't answer my question!"

Newkirk was getting frustrated; he didn't know why Hogan was being so stubborn. "Bloody 'ell, sir, I'm tellin' you, that raid's tonight! Kinch got word not 'alf an hour ago. I just came to warn you…"

At that moment all three men heard the sound of airplanes in the distance; and they were coming closer.

Hogan glanced at his men and yelled, "Let's get out of here!"

They took off running as the droning of the planes became louder and louder. Soon the bombers were right over them, and an explosion off in the distance suddenly lit up the sky. They dodged to the right; running until another explosion went off just ahead of them. Then they turned to the left, and saw the horizon light up in that direction, as well.

"Where can we go?" LeBeau yelled to be heard over the deafening noise.

Hogan's eyes lit up. "The caves!" he shouted, suddenly remembering the network of underground caves that they used occasionally to store supplies and hide people when necessary. He glanced around to get his bearings, and realized they weren't far. "Come on, this way!" he shouted again; then took off in the direction of the nearest one, gesturing to Newkirk and LeBeau to follow.

They made it to the cave, and ducked inside just as another explosion lit up the countryside behind them. Every time a bomb fell, they found themselves inching farther back into the cave, until they could no longer see the entrance. Finally it stopped; the night became quiet once again, and the three men breathed a big sigh of relief.

They waited a little bit longer, to make sure it was over; then Hogan said, "All right, let's get back to camp."

They started to exit the tunnel, but when they came into view of the opening, they stopped cold. Standing at the entrance, blocking their escape, was the creature!


	8. In and Out of Danger

**Chapter 8**

_They started to exit the tunnel, but when they came into view of the opening, they stopped cold. Standing at the entrance, blocking their escape, was the creature! _

The men stared, wide-eyed, at the figure standing in front of them. The creature stared back; its yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"Mon Dieu!" LeBeau whispered after a few seconds, "Is that…?"

"Yes, it is," Hogan whispered back.

They stood there for a few more seconds, staring as if mesmerized by the unearthly being before them, when the creature suddenly smiled; showing off its rows of long, sharp teeth.

"C'mon, fellas," Hogan said, glancing at his two men, "Back into the cave…let's go!" He saw LeBeau turn to go, and at the same instant, saw the creature begin to move toward them. He turned to follow LeBeau, when he noticed Newkirk hadn't moved; the Englishman was still standing there, frozen to the spot, staring at the creature.

"C'mon, Newkirk!" Hogan yelled, grabbing the corporal's arm and yanking him back into the cave. Newkirk stumbled; then seemed to snap out of his trance and started to follow Hogan.

The creature lunged at them; grabbing the collar of Newkirk's jacket from behind. Newkirk let out a yelp as the thing began to pull him back. Hogan let go of Newkirk's arm and reached for his gun, which was tucked into his belt. He raised it up, aimed it at the thing's head, and fired. The creature jerked back, still clutching Newkirk's collar. Newkirk shimmied out of his jacket and took off after LeBeau into the cave. Before Hogan turned to follow him, he saw the creature blink a few times; then it threw down Newkirk's jacket and glared back at him with what could only be construed as anger.

Hogan didn't wait to see what the creature was going to do next. He ran after his men; slowing down only when he'd passed beyond the last shred of moonlight coming from the entrance. "Hey, are you guys up there?" he called out into the dark; his hand pressed to the side of the cave to guide him.

"Yeah, Colonel, I'm right in front of – oomph!" Newkirk exclaimed as Hogan bumped into him.

"Uh, sorry, Newkirk," Hogan apologized, backing up a step.

"Colonel," LeBeau's voice cut through the darkness, "How are we going to get out of here? I can't see a thing!"

"Oh, 'ang on, I've got me matches," Newkirk said. There was the sound of rustling cloth, followed by the striking of a match, and suddenly the men could see.

They glanced around to get their bearings, and noticed they were in a fairly large section of the cave. There were boxes piled up against one wall; supplies that they – along with the Underground – had stored there for safekeeping. The men were somewhat familiar with the layout of this particular cave system, having had to use it on many occasions. Hogan looked across the room, and pointed to a small opening on the other side. "That's the way out," he stated, walking toward it.

Newkirk wasn't paying attention to the match in his hand. When it started to burn his fingers, he cursed and dropped it on the cave floor. It went out, and the world went dark. He blew on his fingers for a moment; then ripped out another match from the pack and lit it. He saw Hogan standing by the opening they were to go through, looking back in his direction. Suddenly the colonel's eyes widened in fear, and Newkirk's heart skipped a beat when he heard something approaching from behind him. He whirled just in time to see the creature enter the room from the direction they had come.

The creature smiled and approached Newkirk; reaching out to grab him. Without thinking, Newkirk threw the match at it, and the tiny fire stick landed on the ragged overcoat that the creature was wearing. The material quickly caught fire, going up in flames like it was made of paper. The creature let out an unearthly roar, and began to pull the burning coat off of itself.

Newkirk stood there, watching in shock, and then a hand grabbed his arm from behind, pulling him away from the struggling figure. The room was already filling up with smoke as Hogan shoved him into the small opening and followed him in. LeBeau had entered the narrow passageway first, and hurried along; followed closely by Newkirk and Hogan. It was a tight squeeze, and a few times the men had to turn sideways to fit through.

Meanwhile, the creature had successfully removed its coat, and had stomped on it a few times to put out the fire. It went over to the opening the men had just disappeared into, intending to follow them. But it was too big to fit through the narrow tunnel, so it began clawing and digging its way through; ripping chunks of dirt out of the sides and ceiling and throwing them behind itself as it plowed through.

Neither Hogan and his men, nor the creature, knew that the bombing raid that had taken place earlier, had significantly weakened the ground above the length of the cave system they were now travelling through.

LeBeau reached the end of the passageway at last, and stepped out into a wider section of the cave. He moved to the side as he waited for Newkirk and Hogan to join him; not wanting them to bump into him in the pitch dark. The two men emerged after a moment; both of them squinting in the darkness; trying to pick up any hint of light.

"What now, Colonel?" LeBeau asked.

"Newkirk, why don't you light a match, so we can see where we are?" Hogan said.

"Yes, sir," Newkirk replied. He pulled out his matchbook, struck a match, and once again they had light.

"That's better," Hogan said, glancing around the room, "It was easy getting through that narrow tunnel in the dark, but these big areas, you can't just feel your way through… There!" He suddenly exclaimed, pointing to his left, "We go that way."

They started to move in the direction Hogan was pointing, when they heard muffled digging noises coming from the tunnel they'd just exited.

Newkirk's eyes grew wide. "Blimey, sir, that thing's tryin' to follow us!" he exclaimed; then shook his hand to extinguish the match that was just about to burn his hand again, flicked it to the cave floor, and lit another.

"Then we better get out of here now," Hogan replied anxiously. He headed for the tunnel that would take them to the exit, when another, more ominous sound reached their ears. It was a low rumbling; running along the ground above their heads.

The three men looked at each other for a moment; then Hogan yelled, "C'mon!" and hurried toward the tunnel. Newkirk followed, cupping his hand around the match to keep it from going out. LeBeau followed right behind; sticking close.

When they reached the tunnel, they found that it curved sharply to the right. Just then Newkirk's match went out, but now they could see the exit, and the moonlight that was pouring in through it was enough to guide them. Hogan, Newkirk and LeBeau took off at a dead run. The rumbling grew louder and the ground started to shake, prompting the men to move even faster. They shot out of the cave just as the entire ceiling collapsed; sending clouds of dust and dirt flying into the air behind them.

They ran a short distance into the woods; then stopped and turned around to look. The opening to the cave they'd just come out of was completely gone; filled up by the dirt that had fallen into it.

"There's no bloody way that thing's gettin' out the way we did," Newkirk said, smiling with relief.

"No, it's not, Pierre," LeBeau agreed, "But, what if it turned around and went back to the entrance? It might be able to get out that way."

Newkirk's face fell. "Blimey, Louis, did you 'ave to say that?"

Hogan let out a sigh. "LeBeau's right. We better go back and see if the entrance is still clear."

Hogan took the lead, and the three men circled around to the cave entrance; taking care not to walk directly over the area that had just collapsed. They could see large depressions in the earth covering the areas where the cave tunnels had been only a short time ago. When they finally made it to where they'd first entered to escape the falling bombs, they all breathed a sigh of relief. The entrance was gone; plugged up with dirt – which could only mean that the entire cave was completely filled in.

"Looks like that thing is buried down there," Hogan said.

LeBeau nodded. "Oui, mon Colonel, I don't see any way for it to escape from there – if it's still alive, that is."

"Dieter said it can't die," Newkirk reminded them, "But at least now it's trapped – "

"Dieter!" Hogan exclaimed, "He and Fritz were in the barn when the bombers flew over!"

LeBeau's eyes widened. "That's right, Colonel!"

Hogan took off in the direction of the abandoned barn. "C'mon!" he called out, "We have to see if they're all right!"

The men hurried back to the barn, each dreading what they would find. As they approached the structure, they could clearly see the tell-tale signs of where a bomb had exploded nearby, but – mercifully – had not hit the barn. They rushed up to the door and went inside.

"Fritz! Dieter!" Hogan called out, ""Are you in here?"

They heard the rattling of a lock coming from the floor, and suddenly a trap door swung open. Fritz climbed out, followed by Dieter. "Papa Bear!" Fritz exclaimed, "I'm glad to see you and your men are all right!"

Hogan smiled. "We're glad you're okay, too." He looked at the trap door with interest. "I didn't know this barn had a hideout under the floor."

"We put it in about a month ago," Fritz replied, "We thought it might come in handy."

Dieter looked at Hogan worriedly. "Has the bombing stopped for the night?" he asked.

"Yes, it has," Hogan said, "You two can go home now."

"And you don't need to be worryin' about that creature anymore," Newkirk piped up, "It won't be attackin' anyone any time soon."

Dieter's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Hogan explained what happened; watching as Fritz and Dieter's expressions went from surprise to fear, to sheer amazement upon hearing that Papa Bear and his men had not only escaped, but had managed to trap the creature underground.

"You know it's not dead," Dieter stated when Hogan was finished.

"Maybe not," Hogan replied, "But there's no way that thing's getting out of there."

Dieter sighed. "I hope you're right, Papa Bear," he said, sounding doubtful.

"Well, in any case, I think it's time for all of us to go home," Fritz stated, "It's very late."

Hogan glanced at his watch; his eyes widening slightly when he saw it was three o'clock in the morning. "I couldn't agree more," he said, "C'mon fellas, let's go."

While Fritz and Dieter headed for their homes, Hogan, Newkirk and LeBeau walked back to camp. They took turns climbing down the tree stump, and when they arrived in the main tunnel, were greeted by two very tired, yet relieved faces.

"Colonel!" Kinch exclaimed, a big grin on his face, "Glad you made it back!"

Carter was also smiling wide. "Me, too, sir! I just knew Newkirk would find you and Louis!"

"Yes, he found us," Hogan replied, looking over at his Englishman. He frowned when he saw the pained expression on Newkirk's face. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, sir," Newkirk responded while bringing a hand up to his head. "It's just me 'ead; feels like someone's trapped inside it, and is fightin' to get out."

Hogan grabbed Newkirk's arm and led him over to the bench. "Here, you better sit down," he directed. "You're still getting over a concussion, you know."

"Oui," LeBeau piped up, "And all that running around out there couldn't have helped."

"Running around?" Carter asked, glancing at Newkirk with concern; then back to Hogan, "So, what happened, anyway, Colonel? We were getting pretty worried about all of you; I mean, the bombing raid ended hours ago!"

Hogan took a deep breath, and once again launched into the tale of what he, Newkirk, and LeBeau had gone through earlier that night. He couldn't help noticing how similar the shocked expressions on Kinch and Carter's face were to Fritz and Dieter's, when he'd told them.

Once Hogan had finished, a brief silence fell over the room; then Carter let out a whistle. "Boy, it's no wonder Newkirk's head is hurting!"

"Yours would be, too, if you'd been out there," Newkirk replied from the bench. He leaned forward and, with his elbows on his knees, cradled his head. "Ooh, bloody 'ell, I could use some of those aspirins, sir," he muttered.

"All right," Hogan stated, "It's time to go up to the barracks and get some sleep." He walked over and helped Newkirk to his feet. "I've still got some aspirins in my quarters. Let's get you up there, and see if we can't take care of that headache."

"Yes, sir," Newkirk mumbled, wincing when his head started throbbing harder after he stood up.

After the men had climbed up to the barracks, they headed for their bunks. Hogan led Newkirk to his quarters, to give him some aspirin for his headache. Then he directed Newkirk to lie down on the bottom bunk, and hopped up to his own. In a matter of minutes, they were both asleep.

* * *

Several days passed, and there were no further reports of attacks or missing persons in the surrounding area; either by the Underground, or by the Germans. Everything seemed to be back to normal, including Newkirk, who had officially recovered from his concussion.

Hogan and his men were sitting around the table in the middle of the barracks one evening, talking about some supplies they were going to need to order soon, when Schultz suddenly barged into the building, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Colonel Hogan! I need to speak to you right away!" The big sergeant exclaimed, once he'd caught his breath.

Hogan looked up at him with curiosity. "Go ahead, Schultz. What's on your mind?"

Schultz's eyes briefly darted back and forth; then he fixed his gaze on Hogan. "I was patrolling outside the gate this evening, and I came across something…" He paused as he swallowed hard.

"What did you find, Schultzie?" Newkirk prompted.

"I saw…I saw…" Schultz's face turned an unnatural shade of green, "I saw bodies – bodies that were missing things – things from their insides…"

Hogan wasn't the only one in the room who suddenly went pale. "Are you sure about that, Schultz?" he asked, subconsciously knowing the answer.

"Ja! It was terrible!" Schultz exclaimed; then stared questioningly into Hogan's eyes. "Colonel Hogan, I've heard about a crazy man that has been killing people around here. Do you think it's him?"

Hogan forced himself to remain calm. "I'm sure it's not some crazy killer, Schultz," he replied, "They probably just got attacked by wild animals."

Schultz looked doubtful, but he nodded. "Ja, that could be; maybe it was wild animals." He glanced around the room nervously; then turned and left the barracks.

Hogan and his men looked at each other. Finally LeBeau piped up; "Colonel, you don't think…?"

"Yes, I do," Hogan answered, "It got out, after all." He paused for a moment; then added, "And it looks like it knows where we live."

"Blimey, sir, what do we do now?" Newkirk asked, visibly shaking.

Hogan's face took on a look of grim determination. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna get rid of that thing once and for all."


	9. Once and For All

**Chapter 9**

_Hogan's face took on a look of grim determination. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna get rid of that thing once and for all." _

The men all stared at Hogan like he was crazy. It was Newkirk who finally broke the silence.

"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but did you just say _we_ are goin' to get rid of that thing?"

"That's right, Newkirk."

"And just 'ow are we goin' to do _that_, sir?"

Hogan grinned. "We're gonna blow it up."

"Oh, just like that?" Newkirk shook his head in disbelief; then turned and addressed Kinch as though he were the creature. "Pardon me, whatever you are, but do you mind standing still for a moment so we can ruddy blow you to bits?"

Kinch looked at Hogan. "Newkirk's got a point, sir; how are we gonna get that thing to stay in one place long enough to blow it up?"

"By using the right kind of bait," Hogan replied, staring pointedly at Newkirk.

Newkirk's eyes popped wide. "WHAT?" he shouted, "Colonel, you can't be serious!"

Hogan sighed. "I'm dead serious, Newkirk."

"Right, and that's just what _I'm_ goin' to be…dead!"

"Newkirk, I'm not gonna let it kill you," Hogan said, frowning at him, "I just need you to lure it into our trap; that's all."

"Humph! That's all, he says!" Newkirk huffed, rolling his eyes.

"So, what's the plan, Colonel?" Kinch asked.

Hogan placed his arms on the table and clasped his hands together. "That barn where we met up with Fritz and Dieter," he said, leaning forward, "I want to rig it with explosives, and then get that thing inside and blow it up." He looked over at his demolitions man. "Carter, you're in charge of setting the dynamite. You think you can make it look like a bomb hit the building?"

"Oh, sure, Colonel," Carter responded, his eyes lighting up, "Piece of pie!"

Newkirk opened his mouth to reply; then changed his mind, and just shook his head.

"Why do you want it to look like a bomb hit it, sir?" Kinch asked.

"Because the Krauts will think it got destroyed in that air raid four nights ago," Hogan explained.

LeBeau shifted in his seat. "Mon Colonel, didn't Dieter tell us at the meeting that the creature, or whatever it is, would disappear in six days?"

Hogan nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Well, then, sir, all we have to do is wait two more days, and it will go away by itself. Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Hey, I'm with Louis," Newkirk interjected, "Why don't we stay 'ere and wait for that bloody thing to go away by itself?"

"Dieter also said that thing wouldn't stop trying to get its claws on you, Newkirk," Hogan told the English corporal.

Newkirk's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "You don't think it would come into the camp, do you, sir?"

"I don't know," Hogan replied, "I don't think so. It doesn't seem to attack largely populated areas. Besides, we've got over a thousand men here, and the guards not only have guns, but access to grenades. Maybe it can't be killed, but it can be incapacitated – at least, temporarily. We've seen that for ourselves."

"Well, then, there's the answer, Colonel!" Newkirk exclaimed, "I'll just stay right 'ere for the next two days, and when that thing goes back to sleep, or whatever it does, presto! Problem solved."

Hogan raised his eyebrow. "And what happens in twenty-three years, when that thing wakes up again?"

"I 'ardly think we'll still be 'ere in twenty-three years, sir," Newkirk stated matter-of-factly.

"No, we probably won't. But there will be other people here; people who are gonna get killed by that thing. You want that on your conscience?"

An incredulous expression appeared on Newkirk's face. "Beggin' your pardon, Colonel, but 'ave you gone 'round the bend? 'Ow can you expect me to feel responsible for what 'appens twenty-three years from now?"

"Because you didn't do everything you could to stop that thing while you had the chance!" Hogan shouted angrily. He paused to let that sink in; then continued in a calmer voice. "Look, I know this isn't why we're here; to fight creatures or demons or whatever the hell that thing is. But, we've seen what it does, and no one deserves to be killed like that… Not even our enemies. Now, I don't know about you fellas, but as long as there's still time, I'm going to try to destroy that thing."

For several moments, no one spoke. The men stared at Hogan, their expressions registering surprise; then changing to understanding, and finally, determination as they realized he was right. They couldn't in all good conscience let that creature survive; only to re-appear in the future and once again terrorize the countryside. If there were any way to stop it; they had to try.

Kinch was the first to speak up. "You can count me in, Colonel."

LeBeau was next. "Me, too, sir!"

"Well, I'm in, Colonel," Carter replied, "Just tell me when you want me to wire up that barn, sir!"

All eyes turned to Newkirk.

"It won't work without you," Hogan said quietly.

Newkirk sighed. "Blimey, Colonel, why did that thing 'ave to pick _me_ to go after, anyway?"

"Your magnetic personality?" Kinch uttered, stifling a smirk.

Newkirk frowned at him. Then he glanced around at the men and said, "Well, I can't let you blokes 'ave all the fun, now, can I?" He looked at Hogan with determination and announced, "I'll do it, sir."

A big grin spread across Hogan's face. "I never doubted it for a minute."

* * *

They made arrangements to go out the following night. Kinch contacted the Underground to warn them to stay away from the abandoned barn, and Carter spent a few hours in his lab, getting the explosives ready. By the time the men hit their bunks to get some sleep, a huge spring thunderstorm rolled in; periodically dazzling the barracks with spectacular flashes of lightning. The thunder following some of those flashes actually shook the building, and no one slept until the storm finally moved off.

The next day was spent going over the plan, and taking care of any last-minute preparations. Schultz came by in the afternoon and mentioned to them that no more bodies had been found, but a few of the guards hadn't returned from their patrols the night before, and he was clearly worried. Hogan suggested it was the storm, but he could tell Schultz wasn't buying it. After Schultz left, Hogan and his men exchanged glances. They were convinced the creature was out there; loitering in the area, no doubt still trying to get its hands on Newkirk – which made them more determined than ever to destroy it.

At last night fell, and once roll call was over, Hogan sent Carter, Kinch, and LeBeau out to the barn to set up the explosives. He didn't want Newkirk there too soon; he couldn't risk the creature showing up before they were ready for it. He gave the three men an hour, and then he and Newkirk slipped out of camp and made their way to the barn as quickly and quietly as possible.

When they got there, they met up with Kinch; who was standing outside the building, watching for them. "You guys all set?" Hogan asked him.

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied, "Carter and LeBeau are just putting some finishing touches on the trap we set up in the barn."

Hogan nodded. "Good. As soon as they're done, we'll take our positions."

As if on cue, Carter and LeBeau exited the barn and, spotting Hogan and the rest of the guys, went over to join them.

"Ready?" Hogan asked when they walked up.

"Ready as we'll ever be, sir," Carter answered.

"All right, let's go."

Hogan, Kinch and Newkirk headed for the barn, while Carter and LeBeau walked off toward the woods. Carter had set up the detonator a ways from the barn, so when he got the signal, he could set off the explosives from a safe distance. LeBeau had fashioned for himself a hiding place in a thicket adjacent to Carter's spot, where he could watch the door. It was his job to give the signal to Carter once the men had exited the building, and were far enough away.

When Hogan entered the barn, he glanced toward the opening to the hideout under the floor, and for an instant, couldn't tell where it was. Then, when he saw what a good job his men had done at covering it up, he let out a whistle. "That thing's not gonna see it until it's too late," he said, smiling at Kinch.

Newkirk nodded. "Blimey, I just 'ope I don't fall in it by mistake!" he exclaimed. He stared at the opening in the floor – or more precisely – where the opening was supposed to be. It had been covered over by a thin sheet and generously sprinkled with hay; which was spread out beyond the sides of the large hole. To the naked eye, it just looked like part of the floor, but Newkirk knew otherwise.

"All right, you know the plan," Hogan said, "Kinch and I will hide behind the bales of hay piled up in front of the wall over there," he pointed across the room. "Newkirk, you go outside and hang out in front of the barn; hopefully that thing will pick up your scent. When it shows up, you lure it in here, and get it to walk over the opening in the floor. As soon as it falls through, we'll jump out and help you close and lock the trapdoor. Then we run outside, LeBeau signals Carter, and boom! No more creature."

"Right," Newkirk replied, "Piece of pie."

Kinch raised his eyebrow. "Don't you mean piece of cake?"

Newkirk smiled. "Well, since we're trustin' our lives to Carter, I don't think I want to tempt fate at this particular point in time."

Hogan and Kinch both grinned. Then they took their positions behind the bales of hay, and Newkirk went outside to await the creature.

Fifteen minutes passed; then thirty. Newkirk paced outside the entrance to the barn; part of him wishing the creature would show up so they could get this over with, and part of him hoping he never saw that thing again. It started getting close to an hour, and he was about to go in the barn to tell Hogan it wasn't working, when he heard a rustling noise coming from behind him, and quickly whirled around. There, standing several yards away, was the creature; staring intently at him.

Newkirk's eyes widened; then he caught his breath and said, "Hey, you there! I don't know what the bloody 'ell you are, but if you want somethin' from me, you'll 'ave to catch me, first!" Then he turned and ran into the barn; the creature hot on his heels.

Newkirk got inside, and after he ran past the trap in the floor, he stopped and turned around. "Well, 'ere I am, come get me!" he said as he moved near the trap; strategically placing it between him and the creature.

The creature slowly advanced; its mouth twisting into a smile. It drew closer to the trap on the floor, and just as it was about to step onto it, it stopped; its eyes narrowing. It glanced down briefly; then sidestepped the opening in the floor and continued to advance on Newkirk.

Newkirk, starting to panic by now, walked backwards as the creature approached him. "The trap didn't work," he called out; his heart racing as he bumped up against the wall, "I could use some help, 'ere!"

The creature lunged at him; grabbing his arms and pinning him against the wall. Then it reached into the folds of the coat it was wearing – a Luftwaffe guard's coat, from the looks of it – and pulled out a long, heavy knife. It slid its hand down Newkirk's right arm, grabbed his hand, and pulled it forward. Then it raised the knife; aiming for the Englishman's wrist.

Something suddenly slammed into the creature; knocking it to the floor of the barn. Hogan had leaped out of his hiding place and, after tackling the thing, landed on top of it as they both fell. Kinch had emerged as well, and ran over to Newkirk. "You've got to get out of here now!" he yelled as he grabbed Newkirk's arm and began to haul him toward the door.

"I can't leave the Colonel!" Newkirk yelled back; then he yanked himself out of Kinch's grasp and ran back toward the struggle that was occurring on the floor of the barn. As the creature began to push Hogan off, Newkirk spotted something on the floor near the wall, and picked it up. The creature shoved hard, sending Hogan flying across the room to the opposite side of the barn. Then it got up and started to turn toward Newkirk. Just as it did, Newkirk raised the pitchfork he'd found and, with all his strength, stabbed it into the creature.

Kinch ran up and added his hands to the end of the pitchfork, and together, the two men shoved the creature backwards, towards the hole in the floor. Before the thing could gain its footing, it stepped over the trap and fell like a stone through the opening. Newkirk and Kinch glanced at each other; then quickly grabbed the trapdoor cover and closed it. Hogan, who had already gotten to his feet, rushed over and helped them lock the door securely. Then the three men got up and ran for the door.

Once they got outside, they sprinted toward the trees. "LeBeau, tell Carter; NOW!" Hogan yelled as the men neared the minimum safe distance from the barn.

Inside the building, the creature was busy trying to break through the trap door. It shoved with all its might, and ripped the small door off its hinges. It threw the piece of wood across the barn, and started to climb out.

"Carter, NOW!" LeBeau shouted. Carter, who was poised over the detonator, hands on the plunger, heard him, and pushed the mechanism down. The barn went up in a fiery explosion; lighting up the entire surrounding area.

Hogan, Kinch and Newkirk were far enough away to avoid getting caught in the blast, but the shockwave emanating from it still knocked them off their feet. They hit the ground, and instinctively covered their heads. Luckily, none of the debris flew in their direction; Carter had been able to set the explosives so when the barn blew up, it imploded on itself.

After a few minutes, Hogan uncovered his head and looked around. He began to stand up just as LeBeau and Carter appeared. Hogan got to his feet, while the other two men helped Kinch and Newkirk. After a few groans, and moments spent vigorously brushing the dirt off their clothes, Kinch and Newkirk were standing, as well.

"You guys all right?" Hogan asked them.

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied.

"Yes, Colonel," Newkirk echoed.

Hogan breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced back at the barn and muttered, "Well, that takes care of _that_!" Then he looked at his men and said, "C'mon, let's go."

As they walked back to camp, Carter looked at Hogan curiously. "You think it's finally dead, Colonel?" he asked.

"I'm sure it is," Hogan answered. "Nothing could've survived that."

The men inwardly nodded; even though they couldn't help harboring a tiny amount of doubt.

* * *

Several days passed, and there were no more reports of missing persons, or mutilated bodies found in the woods. One evening, four days after they'd blown up the barn, Hogan and his men were sitting around the table in the barracks. They'd just finished dinner, when the topic of conversation drifted to their recent adventure.

"Colonel, I still can't help wondering if we really killed that ruddy thing, or if it's just hibernatin', like Dieter said."

Hogan looked at Newkirk. "Well, if it had survived, we'd know, wouldn't we?" he replied. "It still had one more day, and I'm sure it would have killed more people while it had the chance."

"Mon Colonel, how do we know Dieter was right? Maybe when we blew up the barn, it _was_ the creature's last day."

All eyes turned to LeBeau; widening at the realization he could be right. Then Carter piped up, "Well, I, for one, would like to think we killed it. I don't like the thought of that thing showing up in twenty-three years, creeping around the woods again and killing people."

"I agree with Carter, sir," Kinch said, "I think we've seen the last of the 'Creeper'."

Hogan and the rest of the men nodded. Then one of the guys in the barracks suggested a poker game, and the table was quickly cleared. Newkirk got out his deck of cards and began to deal, while several of the men came over and took a seat. Schultz came by later, and couldn't resist joining in. By the time lights out were announced, everyone had all but forgotten about the Creeper. As far as they were concerned, it had been taken care of – permanently.

* * *

A/N: This is not marked as complete, because I have an epilogue to this story, which I will be posting tomorrow.


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Dr. Charles Robertson, head of the Anthropology Department at the most prestigious University in London, sat at his desk, looking over the stack of papers he'd received earlier that morning, taking extra care to keep everything in order. So engrossed was he in his reading, that he scarcely registered the knock on his door. The door opened a crack, and his secretary poked her head through.

"Dr. Robertson, Dr. Weiss is here to see you," she announced.

Robertson looked up at the attractive young woman and smiled. "Send him in, Janine," he instructed her. He stood and walked toward the door just as his visitor was entering. "Ah, Dr. Weiss, so good of you to come," he greeted him, holding out his hand.

Weiss took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "I am glad to meet you at last, Dr. Robertson," he replied, his German accent barely noticeable.

"Please, come in and have a seat." Robertson gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Then he circled around the desk and sat down in his own chair.

When they were seated comfortably, Weiss spoke up first. "So, I understand you are interested in the discovery we made recently near the town of Hammelburg."

Robertson nodded slightly. "Yes, very interested. In fact, I have an American colleague who is also most interested in your discovery. I took the liberty of inviting him to this meeting, and he arrived in London last night. He will be joining us shortly; I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Weiss replied.

"In the meantime, I was hoping you could tell me more about the body that was discovered. I've been studying the report, and I'm afraid it's rather vague."

"Well," Weiss began, "I'm sure you already know that it was found in the ruins of a barn that had been hit by a bomb during the war."

"Yes, that was mentioned in the report."

"After careful research," Weiss continued, "We've been able to determine the barn was destroyed in the spring of 1944; just over five years ago."

"Yes, that was mentioned, as well," Robertson said. "Tell me, has anyone been able to identify just exactly what 'it' is?"

Weiss shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. All we know is that it is the intact remains of some sort of mammalian life form, it is remarkably free of any signs of burns, and, while it is clearly dead, does not appear to be decomposing."

"Most interesting," Robertson muttered, nodding his head slightly. There was a knock on the door, and his secretary once again opened it and peeked in.

"The American gentleman has arrived," she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Thank you, Janine. Please, send him in," Robertson replied.

Weiss looked at Robertson quizzically. "Just who is this colleague of yours?" he asked.

"He's an archeologist; rather well-known, actually. He is particularly interested in discoveries related to myths and legends."

* * *

Out in the reception room, Janine glanced coyly at the visitor. "You may go in now, Dr. Jones," she told him, blushing slightly.

The man reached up and removed the Fedora from his head. He looked at her, his eyes twinkling, and replied, "Please, call me Indiana."

THE END…?

* * *

A/N: I wrote this epilogue about a month ago; before the challenge was made for an Indiana Jones crossover. (Deana can confirm that.) So, while this was not written as a direct response to that challenge; perhaps, in some small way, it counts? :)

In any case, I hope you have enjoyed this story, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I guess it's actually a three-way crossover, now! LOL


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